


Forever Mine

by Gabith



Category: Hunter X Hunter, hxh
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-03-17 06:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3519272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabith/pseuds/Gabith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gon Freecss, son of the famous soccer player Ging Freecss, is starting school at the Hunter Academy, a prestigious boarding school in Yorknew City. He is surprised when his one-time childhood friend shows up. Together, along with a rag-tag crew of misfits from the upper grades, they tackle the everyday life of being a celebrity's son, living up to family expectations, getting revenge, and achieving their goals.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Aunt Miiiiiiitooooooo!”

Gon’s aunt sighed as her nephew whined from behind her. She knew if she turned around, his honey eyes would crack her wall of determination. She stood with her back towards him, scratching at the hem of her shirt guiltily.

“Gon. I have to stay with Grammy. You go have fun. I’ll be fine.”

They were spending the day at the amusement park. It was the first time in what seemed like forever that Gon was able to leave their home on Whale Island, especially for something as amazing as Trick Town, the world’s best, family-friendly roller coaster amusement park.

But Mito’s nerves got the better of her, even before they went on their first ride. They hadn’t been there yet an hour, and she already backed down from two rides, and they weren’t even the scary ones! Gon couldn’t help but feel a little dejected as his Aunt walked away from him, ushering his overly-enthusiastic great-grandmother, who, against her will, was forbidden from riding any coasters for fear of her health.

“But Auuuuuunnnnnnnttttttttt Miiiiiiiiiitooooooooooooo!” Gon protested, just as determined to get her to spend time with him as she was to escape from the pressing crowds. Mito’s hands were getting clammy now, as people were stopping to watch the twelve-year-old throw a tantrum. _If this goes on any longer,_ she thought to herself, _I know I’m going to regret it._

The young woman whipped around, fixing Gon with her you-better-stop-that-and-do-what-I-tell-you look, making him stop mid-whine. “Gon Freecss, I am not going on any roller coasters today. You’re just going to have to go by yourself. I’m keeping Grammy company, and I don’t feel like vomiting and having it captured on photo. Now that’s the end of it.”

Gon gave her a little pout, before running up to give her a tight hug around the waist. “Okay~! I’ll meet you back in the hotel room when it gets dark.”

Mito, caught off guard, could feel a blush creep to her face as the passer-by “awed” at the sight of her nephew’s undisguised affection. “O-okay Gon. Be back at nine o’clock, sharp. I love you.” Her hands found their way around the young boy’s shoulders, giving him a little squeeze.

“Love you too~!” Gon broke free of the embrace and waved over his back as he ran deeper into the park.

“Mmmmm which one should I ride first?” Gon stopped in the middle of a small plaza, while screams of terror, pleasure, and overall enjoyment bombarded his ear drums. His sharp nose picked out the smells of cooking meat, sweets, and the heat radiating off the cement.

“Where have you been? And why do you look like you’re about to vomit?!”

Gon’s ears pricked when he heard enthusiastic voices behind him. _Must be a good ride if he's going to vomit-Maybe the best!!_

“I just got off the Spleen Splitter!! It was so good. I felt my stomach in my brain, I swear on my life.”

A smile split across the boy’s face, spreading from both his ears. _That’s the one!_ What better to start the day off with, than something to make you numb with fear?

“’Scuse me!” Gon ran over to the two other tourists. “Could you tell me how to get to the Spleen Splitter, please?”

One guest, a tall older gentleman with spiky brown hair and small round sunglasses guffawed. “What are you thinking, kid? Your heart would stop the second you looked at it, let alone get on it. I could barely stand in line, and I’m nineteen, let alone a six-year-old like yourself! You wouldn’t be able to handle it”

Gon could feel heat rushing to his cheeks as the man insulted him. “I can too handle it! Just tell me where it’s at!”

The other boy, who seemed only a little older than Gon himself, glared at his companion through his long blond bangs, fixing him with an icy brown stare. “Leorio, don’t be rude.” He then turned his attention to Gon. “It’s just around the corner. If you’d like, my friend and I can take you there. I actually wanted to ride it—“Another glare at his friend—“but Leorio ditched me and went by himself.”

Leorio shrugged off his friend’s comments. “You wouldn’t be able to ride anyway, kid. It’s a two person rider, and it looks like you’re all alone.”

Gon’s cheeks were beginning to puff up. Who was this geezer, telling him what he can and can’t do? It just fueled his fire to do it anyway. “Then I’ll find someone to ride with me!” He turned to the blond boy. “Do you want to ride with me?”

The boy looked taken aback. “U-uh, actually, I was going to ride with Leorio…”

Leorio grabbed his friend by his elbow and pulled him closer to his side. “Kurapika is already taken, anyway, brat.” The man stuck his tongue out at Gon.

“…I just said that, you moron…” Kurapika’s face was blank as he deadpanned Leorio’s comment. He noticed Gon deflating, and tried to soothe the situation. “There’s always single riders at the gate for the rides. Maybe you can find one there.”

Gon perked up at those words, his eyes shining in the sun. “Really? Alright, let’s go then!”

The spiky-haired boy started to march away, in the wrong direction nonetheless. “It’s the other way!” Kurapika corrected him, pointing.

Gon turned around and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Oh…right. Sorry. Lead the way!”

Leorio half-dragged, half-carried Kurapika to the entrance of the Spleen Splitter. “You’re always getting people’s hopes up, Kurapika. What are the chances that someone will want to ride with him? He’s probably a cry-baby,” Leorio grumbled.

Kurapika tutted his friend. “Leorio, he’s nice. And besides, he’s so perky, I’d think it would be hard for him to _not_ find a partner.”

Leorio tsked, but led the way to the ride. Gon’s obvious awe resounded from behind them as they neared the Spleen Splitter. His footsteps started to quicken, and soon he was running in front of Kurapika and Leorio, screaming in excitement.

“It’s so big! I can’t wait I can’t wait I can’t wait!!!!!!”

Kurapika smiled at his innocence. “Go ahead and find a partner!”

Gon turned and smiled, waving at his new friends. “Thanks! It was nice meeting you!”

Kurapika waved back, watching the young boy’s green back as he left them behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smile creep onto Leorio’s face. Kurapika smirked. “See, I told you he wasn’t a bad kid. You’re just so crotchety, no wonder people think you’re old.”

Leorio gasped. “Rude, Kurapika. That was just rude.”

The blond just laughed. “Let’s go get in line, you dork.”

“Singles! Singles!”

Gon turned his head to the right as the operator’s voice belted above the bustle of the crowd waiting anxiously to get on the ride. “I NEED A SINGLE RIDER OVER HERE!”

Gon squealed and shoved his way through the crowds, earning him a couple of elbows in the face and stepped on toes. “Me! I’m a single rider! Here!” He called out to the man as he finally broke free from the mob.

The operator turned to look at him with dull eyes. “Come to the front of the line with me, please.” The man turned and began leading Gon through a side entrance, to the right of the actual waiting area for the line. In what would have taken the boy a couple of hours to do, Gon was at the front of the line in less than a minute.

“You will be accompanying this young man. Please take your seat.”

Gon spun to where the operator was pointing, and almost screamed again. There, in the front of the line, was a boy about his age. His hair was as white as snow, and his skin was just as pale. Two ice-blue slanted eyes seemed to pop, contrasting with his paleness. His arms were crossed across his chest, and he looked up when Gon appeared. _Cool! I can ride it with someone my age!_ Gon rushed up to the boy and grabbed his hand with his two. “Hi, my name’s Gon! I’m glad I can ride this with you!”

The other boy recoiled at Gon’s touch, trying to free his hand. “Wah! What are you doing, you weirdo? Let me go, let’s just get this over with…”

Gon cocked his head. _That was kind of cold. Maybe he’s just nervous._ “Okayy~! Do you want the inside or the outside?” Gon inquired, smiling brightly.

“Tch. I don’t care. I just want to ride this.” The white haired boy managed to break his hand out of Gon’s grasp, shoving it into his pocket. He ambled to the cart, and took his seat.

“This is gonna be so much fun!” Gon bounced in the seat next to him, making the whole car shake. “This is my first time on a rollercoaster!”

The boy smirked. “Yeah. I can tell. You might not want to do that when we’re at the top though…”

Gon stopped jumping and looked at him quizzically. “What for?”

The boy’s expression changed into a devious grin, showing sharp canines and a scary gleam in his irises. “You could derail the cart, and we could all fall to our deaths.”

Gon froze, clutching onto the lap bar tighter. The boy just chuckled at his sudden change in demeanor.

Muffled instructions about keeping your limbs in the cart at all times, not putting your hands in the air because it could cause damage at the high speed of the coaster played over the loud speaker, to which nobody listened. Then, the cart started to move forward.

Gon fixed his eyes on the track in front of them. When they emerged from the car house, the coaster loomed in front of them. He heard a sharp whistle from beside him, and looked at the boy next to him, whose eyes were wide in admiration.

“It’s huge!”

Gon smiled. Finally, he was getting excited. Gon was about to tease him a little bit, when all of a sudden, the car shot forward, cutting him off.

The sheer amount of power sent him flying into the back rest, making his eyes shut to prevent them from drying out from the wind. Something smacked his hand, and clutched it tightly. Gon forced his eyes open, looking down at his hand. It was covered with his friend’s pale one, and he felt the boy squeeze it tighter as they rounded the first bend at the top.

Gon screamed as they started down the turn, for it looked like they were plummeting to their deaths. The lake next to the park opened up below them, and then the ground came into view as they came out of the inverted angle.

“Open your eyes!” He screeched above the wind, grabbing his friend’s hand, shaking him. “YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!”

The boy slit one eye open, then both flew wide in sync. A smile spread across his face as he looked at the beauty swirling around them. Gon went to pull his hand out, to throw his arms in the air, but when he tried, the boy shot him a death glare and held it down firmly.

“DON’T LET ME GO!”

For some reason, Gon didn’t argue. He just laughed and screamed with pleasure as the ride slowly came to an end. The warmth on his hand was still there, and he pulled the boy out of the car when they were released. Even after, their fingers remained intertwined.

“Are you…scared of heights?” Gon pondered aloud.

“N-no! Shut up, stupid.” The boy shook his head vigorously. Gon chuckled and squeezed his hand.

“It’s okay if you’re afraid. You don’t have to let my hand go if you don’t want to.”

The boy gasped and ripped his hand away. “Don’t tell anyone. I’ll kill you if you do.” His white face turned pink, and he glared at the ground, making Gon laugh.

“I like you. Let’s be friends.”

The boy looked at him, stupefied. “You are one weird kid, you know that?”

Gon just shrugged. “I guess. So what do you say?”

The other boy just pursed his lips, not saying anything. Gon rocked back and forth on his toes, looking at him expectantly. Finally, the former sighed and pushed his hands through his hair, letting them rest at the back of his head. “Killua.”

“Excuse me?”

The boy rolled his eyes, snapping: “My name! It’s Killua.”

Gon beamed. “That’s a cool name! I’m G—“

Killua’s hand stopped Gon’s mouth from finishing the sentence. “I know. It’s Gon.” A pause. “So, what ride do you want to go on next, Gon?”

“Mpfh mm mff.” Gon pointed to his mouth.

“Oh, sorry. What was that?” Killua removed his hand from Gon’s mouth.

“Anything you want to try, I’ll do it too!”

Killua could feel a slight blush spread over his face. He shoved his hands in his pockets, before sauntering away. “Just don’t get scared or anything.”

Gon huffed. Why was everybody thinking that? He ran to catch up with his friend though. “I won’t get scared, if you don’t!”

Killua smirked. “Challenge accepted.”

Gon raced ahead of his new friend. “Killua, where do you live?” he asked suddenly. He wanted to know if he would meet him again some other time.

Killua shrugged. “Not around here. My family is actually moving next week, so we wanted to come while we were at least closer to here than we will be. Where do you live?”

“Whale island.”

Killua frowned. “That’s not even close to where we’re going.”

“Awwww.” Gon’s shoulders fell as they entered their next line. “Then we’ll just have to make the best of today!”

Killua brightened. He liked this kid: always smiling and looking at the best side of things. “Yeah, okay.”

The rest of the day they spent together. On every ride, the two held hands, usually started by Gon. He didn’t want his new friend to feel scared, so he tried to make him as comfortable as possible. Gon was just happy that he had someone to spend his time with, and he really enjoyed Killua’s company. Killua managed to eat an entire candy shop’s store of chocorobos, to which he spared only two for Gon. But Gon didn’t mind, because he then ate out an entire hotdog stand’s inventory.

After what seemed like only a few minutes had passed, Gon noticed that the sky was growing dark. Aunt Mito’s warning that he had to be back in the hotel by 9:00 rang in his head.

“Hey Killua?”

His friend munched on his cotton candy, holding the stuffed animal cat closer to him that Gon had won him at a game. “Hm?”

Gon rubbed his arm nervously, knowing his curfew was growing closer. “Do you want to go on one more ride with me? I have to go inside in a few…”

Killua looked up sharply. “What do you mean? Can’t you stay out a while longer?”

Gon shook his head. “Mm-mm. My aunt will probably string me up by my toes if I break curfew.”

Killua sighed, downing his last bit of cotton candy. He threw the stick in the trash and wrapped both arms around his prize. “What rides are left? Didn’t we ride them all?”

Gon shook his head again, pointing up ahead at a brightly lit wheel in the distance, right next to his hotel. If they could go there, he wouldn’t break curfew and would get to spend some more time with his friend. “We can try the Ferris wheel.”

Killua felt a chill run up his spine as he looked at the giant ride rising in front of him. _“I won’t get scared, if you don’t!”_ Gon’s challenge resonated in his head. _Who cares if it’s that high? I’ll have Gon with me, and they don’t go very fast anyway._ He questioned himself. “Yeah, okay.”

Gon beamed, grabbing Killua’s arm, pulling him toward the ride desperately. “This one will be so much fun!”

Once the boys were in the cabin, Killua sat right next to Gon. Their bags and giant cat somewhat balanced the weight out, but Killua was still pressing slightly against Gon’s side. Gon didn’t mind—the wind blowing off the lake next to the wheel felt like arctic blasts, so he welcomed Killua’s warmth. Up and up the wheel turned, and they went around three times, before the ride shuddered to a stop at the top of the rotation. Killua froze, digging his nails into his palms.

“Killua…”

Killua’s throat closed up, and he felt his stomach turning flips inside of him. His heart felt like it was about to burst through his ribs and fly away. He shut his eyes tightly, throwing his arm around Gon’s, seeking comfort.

Gon felt something wet trailing down his shoulder, and noticed Killua had tears streaming down his face, dripping onto him.

“Killua, it’s okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” Gon’s hand pulled out of Killua’s death grip, and he pulled his friend into his side, hugging him tightly. Killua’s tears stopped. Nobody had ever treated him so tenderly, so gently.

The ride suddenly jerked again, bringing the boys down again. Killua sat up, looking at the tear stains he had left on Gon’s shirt. But, when he looked at his friend’s face, he wasn’t upset. Gon was smiling. His arm was still around Killua, but he pulled it away when the ride stopped, and the cabin door opened, letting them free.

The boys grabbed their belongings, and exited. Killua walked slightly ahead of Gon, wiping his now streaming tears from his face before they fell any farther from his cheeks. _Why am I crying? We’re not up high anymore…_

“Killua.”

Gon’s voice pulled the boy out of his thoughts. Killua was suddenly enveloped in warmth, with Gon’s hair tickling his nose. He smelled strongly of honey and sweets, and it relaxed every inch of Killua.

“Thank you for today,” Gon mumbled into his shoulder, squeezing him tighter. “This was so much fun. Thank you.”

Gon pulled away, smiling, as always. “Here. If you ever want to meet up. Somehow.” Gon slipped him a piece of paper, with numbers scratched on it.

Killua smiled at it, clutching it in his fist. “Yeah. Alright.”

Gon’s smile lasted a few seconds more, before it faltered. He looked at the sky, which was now a dark indigo. “Well…”

Killua’s heart sank. He didn’t want his new friend to leave him. _I’m not lying to myself when I say that this was the best day of my life._ “Well…” he repeated Gon, digging the toe of his shoe into the dirt, not looking at his friend.

“I’ll be off then.”

Killua just nodded. _Don’t leave! Don’t go!_ He wanted to scream, and he knew if he opened his mouth, he would. So he stood in silence.

“…bye, Killua.”

Something soft hit Killua’s face, and he looked up in shock as Gon smiled, holding the hand out that he had just thrown a stuffed puppy at Killua’s face with. “Don’t forget me, alright? We’ll meet again, for sure!”

Killua couldn’t help but smile, nodding. “Right!”

Gon waved, and ran toward the lights emanating from the hotel behind them. Killua held up his hand, semi-waving. _I’ll never forget you, Gon. Let’s meet again sometime._


	2. Chapter 2

“Gon. Stop. Gon. Gon, no. Gon. Stop—“

The energetic sixteen year old was bouncing around in the back seat of his aunt’s car, making the whole vehicle rock back and forth at the red light. His face was split with a wide, toothy grin as he pressed his face against the window, fogging it up with his over-excited breathing.

“Mito~! Mito, look! Wow, look! That one’s green! Oh oh! And look! A puppy! Wow!” He pressed his fingers up as he took in the sight of the huge city. Mito sighed, smiling sadly. There was no trace of regret in Gon’s voice as he absorbed in the new surroundings.

Their car was loaded down with suitcases, back packs, books, clothes, and, of course, Gon and Mito. They were heading up to the new school on the mainland, a prestigious boarding school complete with air-conditioned dormitories, a friendly but intense faculty, and the best educational record in the country. It was going to be Gon’s first day at the school, and he was brimming with uncontained joy.

_“Aunt Mito, I passed my entrance exam!” Gon had held the piece of mail up gleefully, showing his caregiver enthusiastically. There, at the top of the page, were the words: Congratulations, Gon Freecss. We are pleased to announce that you have been accepted to Hunter Academy. You’re an official Blue Ant! Information regarding your dormitory number, scheduling, as well as visitation days is enclosed…_

So here they were, driving Gon to his first day. Mito’s chest felt tight as her nephew continued to blabber in the backseat of her minivan. It only seemed like yesterday, not fourteen years ago, that her cousin dropped Gon on her doorstep, asking her to watch him because he didn’t have time to lug around a toddler. She had raised him as her own, and saw herself as his mother figure. The thought of parting with him now, after so many years of loving and protecting him, felt like a knife was tearing into her heart, killing her slowly internally. If she could have, she would have turned the car around and sped all the way home, keeping Gon with her forever. But she couldn’t—she’d pinky sworn that if he was able to pass the entrance exam, she would let him attend the same school his father graduated from.

So instead, she pushed down her own gathering grief, for the sake of her nephew.

A gasp behind her snapped her out of her reverie, and she felt Gon’s warm hand on her shoulder, following his other pointing hand as he gestured out the windshield. “Mito! Look—look there it is!”

Mito couldn’t help but feeling awestruck at the huge building. It said in the brochure that the school consisted of 251 floors, but she never imagined that it would be _this_ huge. The sky-scraper cast a huge shadow over the whole city, and even the other Yorknew buildings looked dwarfish compared to it. The school’s prestige was evident in its well-kempt appearance, from its glittering windows to the happy students milling about outside.

“Mitoo~! It’s so pretty!” Gon’s eyes glittered next to her, and she turned to smile at him. No matter how far apart they were, her undying love for the boy would transcend any amount of distance. Gon’s smiling face was enough to brighten up the room, and she would never forget it, no matter what.

They pulled into the drop-off center in front of the school, and Gon’s smile faltered for the first time since they left the island. He opened the car door slowly, almost nervously, before stepping out into the bright sunlight. One by one, Gon took each of his bags into his arms, stacking up the extensive amount of belongings—enough to last him the whole year—on his back. When he was finished, all Mito could see were his face and his legs.

“Well, I guess I’m off then…” Gon mumbled, giving a half-hearted smile.

Mito’s heart clenched. She swallowed hard, already feeling heat and pressure building up behind her eyes. She could only nod, because if she spoke, her voice would surely break. They had already said their goodbyes back at the house, but Mito couldn’t help but want to hug him close to her again. She instead reached through the window to ruffle his already spikey hair, patting his cheek softly. Gon pressed his face into her palm briefly, before pulling away to stand on the side-walk outside the entrance.

“I love you, Aunt Mito. See you in a year.”

Gon turned, and Mito watched him go. After making sure he was safely inside, she started her engine to drive away. As she merged onto the highway, the first tears began to stream down her cheeks. Her breath came in broken sobs as she drove her car away alone. It would only be a year, but she already felt like he had been gone for forever.

Gon could feel his chest tightening beneath his school-issued uniform already, as well. People brushed past him, but they all blurred together. In a new, unfamiliar setting, all alone, he felt very small. It was too late to call Mito back, and besides, he had wanted this—this freedom to go and find out he was as a person.

Gon was staring blankly ahead when suddenly something large and hard crashed against him, sending his small body flying, as well as all of his belongings. He hit the floor hard, getting the wind knocked out of his lungs. Dazed, his head spinning the room around in circles, Gon struggled to sit up.

When his fuzzy vision started to clear, Gon noticed a young girl crouching in front of him, rubbing her forehead where they must have collided. Her books were scattered all around the floor, papers still feathering down to the earth. “Ow ow, owowow…” she mumbled, one blue eye brimming with tears.

“Are you okay?!” Gon leaned forward onto his knees, reaching out to help her to her feet. The girl blinked up at him, the beads in her long black hair clinking together as she moved. She took his hand almost sheepishly, letting him pull her up. Gon smiled when she nodded her head, relief washing over him, knowing that he hadn’t hurt her.

“S-sorry! My brothers are always telling me I should watch where I’m going…” her face was turning a light pink, and she bent over to pick up the scattered school supplies. Gon immediately stooped to help her, gathering a little pile in his arms.

“It’s alright, it barely hurt,” he reassured her, handing her the items he had collected, and picking up his own bags after.

She smiled brightly. She was a pretty girl, a little bit younger than Gon himself. Her hair was as black as a raven, and it came down just past her waist. A couple strands were bound with beads, and she wore a distinct headband with different faces printed on it. Her clothes were a simple school uniform—a black pleated skirt just above the knee, a light blue blazer, and the red third-year middle school bow tied delicately just under the collar of her white button-up. Her blue eyes were the color of the after-noon sky, and they crinkled at the corners when she smiled.

“My name’s Alluka. Alluka Zoldyck.” Alluka shifted the papers into one of her arms, holding out the other for Gon to take.

“Gon Freecss.”

Alluka’s eyes squinted as she examined the boy standing across from her, and Gon could feel himself growing self-conscious. “You’re new here, aren’t you.” she finally concluded, stating it more so than asking it.

Gon was incredulous. “How can you tell?”

Alluka smiled gleefully. “I may be a middle-schooler, but I’m part of the welcoming committee, so I remember all the faces that come through here on the first day, even if they’re not in my grade.”

Gon nodded—that seemed logical, especially if it was her job to remember who needed what on the first day. He was grateful that the first person he talked today was Alluka, and he felt that if it had been anybody less kind, he would have been in a lot of trouble.

Alluka was looking at him expectantly, as if she were prompting him to ask her something to verify her as a quality member of the school society or something. “Could you tell me where my dorm’s at, please?” Gon improvised, pulling out a piece of paper with all of his information on it, showing it to the dark-haired girl.

At first, Alluka looked a little surprised, then her mouth curled into a cat-like devious smile. She covered her grin with her fingertips, clearly trying to hide her giggles. “Ohhh. You’re in _that_ room? Of course I can show you there.”

Gon’s eyebrows knit together—what was she talking about? What was so important about this room? Was it haunted? Did it smell? “Wait—what? What are you talking about?” he blurted out, suddenly feeling nervous. Maybe he could request a room-change if it was an issue he could deal with right now, before classes started.

Alluka’s grin became more mischievous. “Oh, it’s nothing really. I just know your roommate is all…”

Gon was starting to panic at this point. “Wahh! Allukaaa~!” He grabbed the girl’s arm as she turned to lead him down the hallway off to the side, shaking her slightly. “Tell me who it issss!”

Alluka’s twinkling laugh bounced off of the walls as she made her way through the crowds to the elevator at the end of the corridor. “You’ll be fine. Just watch out for his mood-swings. You might get whiplash~!”

Gon hung his head in defeat as the girl led him away. He could tell this was as much information as he was going to pull from her, and that he should just accept his fate. But it wasn’t going to stop him from pouting about it. “Allukaaa…” he whimpered as they entered the elevator, pressing against the walls as other students crammed in after them.

As soon as he said her name, the other students stopped laughing and the volume dropped significantly. Whispers flitted over Gon’s sensitive hearing, and he couldn’t help but feel uneasy as people started moving away from him and the girl. Alluka stood, staring intently at the doors as they slowly moved upwards, ignoring the unbridled insults being hurled at her under the other students’ breaths.

“There’s the crazy girl…”

“…I heard her brothers are just as bad…”

“He’s not even really a girl…he’s just a tranny trying to be something he’s not…”

Gon felt heat building up in his chest as the insults slowly grew more and more offensive, and he could feel Alluka trembling through the grip on her arm. Gon was about to say something, when the elevator stopped, and the doors opened to reveal a little boy in the middle-school uniform and the blue second-year tie. His pink eyes roved over the situation lazily, before training on Gon clutching onto Alluka’s arm with a death grip, and Alluka trembling next to him.

Before Gon could register just how _bad_ he appeared in that situation, he found himself spinning through the air, landing hard on his rear. The young man was suddenly standing between him and Alluka, holding out his hands defensively.

“Al, did he hurt you?” the boy questioned calmly, his voice soft but threatening.

Alluka shook her head fiercely, her lips pouting. “Kalluto, you’re so mean! I was gonna show Gon to his room!”

Gon, dazed, fumbled to his feet. Kalluto’s cautious stance relaxed, and he brushed the dirt off his blue blazer’s sleeves. “My apologies. Alluka has been known to get herself into sticky situations. My reaction was only natural, you understand.”

Gon felt his eyebrow twitch at the young man’s formal manner of speaking. _Who is this kid?! And why is he so strong??_

Gon was about to barrage the boy with questions, before the elevator made another stop—this time on floor 100. “This is where we exit~! Catch ya later, Kal!” Alluka lunged at Gon, grabbing his arm forcefully and dragging him off the lift.

There was a noticeable intake of air behind him, and Gon turned around to look at the remaining cluster of students in the elevator. Kalluto was rolling up his sleeves slowly, facing away from the two retreating. “Now, which one of _you_ made Alluka upset? Better speak now, or you’ll all be punished.”

Gon grimaced as the doors shut, blocking his vision of what was happening, but he could still hear the sounds of fighting behind the closed doors. _I guess I’m the lucky one here…_ he thought to himself, glad that Alluka rescued him from getting his butt handed to him.

Sighing, he turned his attention to the front. Alluka was walking briskly, completely focused on leading Gon to the dorms. Her playful aura had disappeared, and Gon could feel her nails digging into his skin through his blazer. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, and he could tell that the younger girl was crying.

“Hey…Hey, Alluka, are you okay?”

She didn’t answer. Gon quickened his step to match hers, and he grabbed her shoulders to stop her in her tracks. He inhaled sharply when her face turned up to look at him. The friendly face that had greeted him was gone—what was left was something twisted with grief and terror.

Alluka’s eyes were dilated to the point where it looked like they were nothing but black holes in her head. Her mouth was gaping open, mouthing words without sound. Wrinkles creased the corners of her eyes and mouth, and they were anything but kind.

“Alluka…is…gone…” The frail body Gon held in his arms was still trembling, but the voice spoke slowly and calmly.

A chill ran down Gon’s back when he looked in the eyes. It was as if something had possessed Alluka’s body, protecting her from getting more hurt. “Th-then who is this?” he asked cautiously. The girl in front of him cocked her head to the side, the creepy smile still tugging at her lips.

“Nanika…Nanika is Alluka’s best friend. A friend of Alluka’s is a friend of Nanika’s. Nanika is protecting her like you wanted to in the elevator. You’re a good friend. Alluka needs more good friends like you. People are mean to Alluka. Nanika wants people to like Alluka, but people don’t like Nanika, so people don’t like Alluka either. Do you like Alluka?”

This thing—Nanika—didn’t seem threatening, and Gon started to relax. It called him a ‘good friend,’ so it couldn’t be dangerous. “Yes, I like Alluka. She’s a very nice girl. Can you send her out again, please, if you can?”

Nanika’s head tilted to the other side, and her smile seemed less frightening as she nodded. “’Kay.”

Alluka’s head hung for a brief second, and when she blinked her eyes open, they were back to their normal blue. She rubbed them sleepily, looking around. “Gon? Where are we?”

_She must not remember what happened._ “Oh, you fell asleep and some kid got in the elevator and carried you out here. Do you feel better?” _Better not bring it up. I don’t know what’s going on, but that seems like the best option right now._

Alluka blushed, smacking her cheeks. “MM, Nanika says it was Kalluto. That silly little brother. He always butts in…” Alluka pouted her lips. At least she was starting to recover from the elevator ride. Whatever was going on in there, Gon could tell it wasn’t the first time, especially because of the way Alluka acted and how her younger brother had to come in and save her. But Alluka wasn’t letting it get to her, letting the water roll off her back.

Gon picked up his bags from the floor when he dropped them to grab onto Nanika. He shifted them onto one arm, and used the other one to grab Alluka’s hand. She looked up at him, shocked that he had made such a brash movement, before easing into the touch. “It’s okay. When you feel like it, we can start going to the dorms.”

Alluka squealed, pulling her hand from Gon’s to return it to her blushing face. “Big bro is gonna love you sooo much~!”

Gon looked at her quizzically. _Big bro? She has_ more _siblings?_ His mind instantly went to Kalluto and the sheer force that the young boy had. He could feel his forehead gathering sweat, and he felt a pit grow in his stomach. _This is it. This is how I die. A cute little girl brings me to my death at the hands of her brother. It was a good ride while it lasted…_

Alluka started walking again, and Gon had to trot to catch up to her. “Say, Alluka. Could you tell me how the school is laid out?” Gon had gotten a map, but it was really hard to read, especially with all 251 floors having different classrooms, dormitories, and teachers. And what better way to figure out how the twisting maze of rooms worked than to have a guide?

Alluka slowed her pace, taking out her phone. She pulled up a picture of the school, which was divided up into five different colors. She pointed towards the middle of the tower. “This is where we are at, floor 100. This is where the first years for the high school dorm, and it’s divided up by gender. In the yellow section, the girls dorm, and then in the green section, the boys dorm. Your dorm is going to be facing west, so you’ll get a nice view of the sunset over the lake.” She pointed to a small square on the left side of the screen, with Gon’s dorm apartment number written on it.

“The five different sections that the building is divided into are as follows: the bottom fifty floors are for the elementary schoolers, their teachers, and their classrooms. Typically, the first two or three floors are for rooming.

“The next fifty floors are for the middle schoolers, like Kal and I. There’s also a couple of gyms and swimming pools in our section because we don’t take up as much rooming as the other grades, and the school needed a rec center…soo, yeah!

“The _next_ fifty are for the special needs students that room here.” Gon was amazed. This school had everything, and even thought to include children with special needs. Alluka smiled a little more when she talked about this section of the building. “I have classes down there once a week. They say that Nanika is just a part of my _Dissociative Identity Disorder,_ or some big words like that. They say she can get too violent, but she’s always so nice to me…” Alluka’s voice trailed off, and her expression changed to a slight frown. “No one in the special education classes are mean to her, though, so she likes going. And when Nanika is happy, then so am I,” Alluka concluded, sounding more like she were trying to convince herself than inform Gon.

The boy couldn’t help but smile. Alluka, who had seemed to be a goofy middle school student, was a kindred spirit, trying to make the best out her situation. Her infectious positivity made Gon forget about his impending doom.

That is, until, Alluka rounded the corner.

Gon ran smack into a large stack of boxes, causing him to stumble backwards, fumbling with his tottering pile of baggage. Once he had regained his balance, he noticed the boxes had _Chocorobos_ written in large writing on them, and there must have been at least fifty boxes, just littering the hallway where his room was supposed to be at.

Alluka huffed and stomped her foot. “Big Brotherrrrr~!!” She hollered, cupping her hands around her mouth to get the sound to carry between the boxes. When there was no reply, she started to shove the cardboard out of the way, clearing a path through the treacherous chocolate jungle to get to Gon’s room.

After trudging through the looming walls of boxes that seemed to be ready to fall and crush Gon and Alluka in a sweet, dark and milk-chocolate death, they reached the only door that was open in the hall. Alluka didn’t bother to knock, she stormed right in, holding out her hand to Gon to stop him from entering right after her.

Gon waited awkwardly outside the door, unable to see anything but the light shining through the window on the adjacent wall. Alluka was deep in the room, and whoever was in there was not responding to her calls.

There was a loud crash inside, making Gon jump and drop all of his bags—again. This time he left them on the floor as he ran inside to make sure that Alluka was okay.

He found her in the back bedroom, with a plethora of boxes scattered across the floor. She was standing threatening over a sleeping body lying across the floor, covered in chocorobo wrappers and chocolate smeared across his fingers and face.

“Big Brother, you better not be faking, or I’m going to scream. Wake up—your new roommate is here, show a little respect!”

A muffled voice came on the other side of Alluka. “Mm don’t wanna. Too tired. So much chocolate…”

Gon moved closer to see around Alluka’s threatening body and look at the boy sprawled on the floor. He let out an audible gasp as his eyes found what they were looking for, not believing what he saw.

The boy sat up slowly as he, too, saw Gon. Blue slanted-eyes met wide amber ones, and both boys stared in disbelief at each other.

The white hair was standing up in awkward angles, as messy as Gon remembered it. He was from that day he wouldn’t ever forget, spent with someone who would always hold a special place in his heart—his first _best_ friend. It didn’t matter that it had been four years since they saw each other, nor that they had only known each other for one day. Nothing would ever, ever in this world, make Gon forget _him._

“…Killua.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys~! I said I would update every Friday, but this week was p rough, so I'm updating early this am :3 Hopefully, this meets up to your expectations, and left you with a little cliff hanger  
> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
> 
> The play I'm in is next week on Friday, so I'll either be updating on Thursday or Saturday, so stay tuned!!
> 
> The design concepts for the character uniforms can be found here>> http://gabithfabswag.tumblr.com/post/113038643326/waname-cropped-from-the-full-image-hehe  
> The school colors are White, Blue (the color of Kurapika's cardigan), and Black.  
> And if you wanna see what I've got thought out for Gon and Killua's appearances as they're aged up, go here>> http://40.media.tumblr.com/e18ab1f2e5b3437810f7700db2a5a6e1/tumblr_mv731zLE2b1sja9bto1_500.jpg 
> 
> (You're gonna have to copy and paste them into your URL bar thingy)
> 
> Again, please let me know if you see any grammar or spelling errors, or if something just doesn't read right/make sense! Thanks :3 Hope you enjoyed as much as I did! xx


	3. Chapter 3

“KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!!”

Before Killua registered what was happening, he found himself being crushed beneath Gon’s lithe body, forcing the air out of his lungs and flattening him against the rough carpet. _This is it. This is how I die. My little sister bringing my best friend to execute me…_

“Oof!” Killua yelped as Gon’s elbow fell into his chest, shooting a pain through his torso. But the spikey-haired boy didn’t seem to notice, because he kept squeezing the life out of his friend, to which Killua was both embarrassed and somewhat pleased.

Gon just continued to laugh and embrace Killua, his heart in his ears and blood coursing through his veins at an alarming rate. The heat that was emanating from Killua’s body warmed his skin, and he could see the blush that was forming on Killua’s cheeks and ears out of the corner of his smile-pinched eyes. “Killua~! Killuaaaa~!” He sang, rocking his friend back and forth in his arms roughly.

Killua’s eyes spun in his head, and he felt nauseous with each time Gon flung his smaller frame around. “G-Gon! St-Stop! You’re gonna make me puke!”

Gon’s vice grip loosened, and he held Killua at arm’s length to look him in the face. Killua’s head lolled to the side, his eyes still rolling from the force that Gon shook him with just moments before.

Gon poked his friend’s forehead, giggling when it snapped him back to the present. Killua glared at Gon, blue fire blazing in his eyes. He was about to tell him off for being so aggressive and nearly killing him, when Alluka interrupted cheerfully.

“Awh! I didn’t know you guys knew each other!” she smiled cheerily. “That makes my job easier then! Don’t forget, in half an hour, we’ve got the first day meeting in Monkey Hall on the top floor! Don’t be late, or Principal Netero will have your heads~!”

Gon waved as his friend left the two boys alone, Killua just sulking beneath him. _Wait, beneath him??_ Killua looked, and his face heated up again, the blood rushing up with his level of embarrassment as he recognized the position they were sitting in.

“G-Gon! Get off of me!”

Gon looked down and he too noticed the awkward position the two boys were in: Gon’s legs were straddling Killua’s waist, and he was planted firmly on the other boy. Gon looked at Killua in horror, his own face turning as bright red as the other boy’s.

“Wah!” Gon leapt off his friend as if something had electrocuted him. “S-sorry, Killua!”

Killua sat up and rubbed the back of his head, directing his blazing eyes at the window. “This never happened. It doesn’t leave this room.”

Gon’s equally red face nodded fervently, trying to escape the embarrassing position the two had just been in. _Wow Gon. What a great way to welcome back your friend. Let’s just sit on top of him like we’re in some boys’ love book or something…smooth._

Gon was about to apologize again when a loud ringing filled the room, making his eardrums reverberate inside his head. The feedback sharpened, until tears sprung to his eyes and he had to cover his ears to prevent damaging them with the loud sound.

He faintly distinguished Killua’s pained voice from the other side of the room and cracked open his eyes to see the pale boy in the same position he was, with his hands clamped over his ears in fetal position. “GON WHAT IS THAT GOD AWFUL NOISE?!”

“IF I KNEW I WOULD MAKE IT STOP. MY EARS ARE GOING TO START BLEEDING!!” Gon retorted over the sound, squirming uncomfortably under the now-throbbing pressure behind his eyes. If it didn’t stop soon, he knew his head was going to burst.

And just like that, his prayers were answered. The squealing over the PA ended, and the room was filled with an eerie ringing as Gon’s ears adjusted to the silence. The pounding in his head was still there, but it too was regressing.

Suddenly, a gravelly voice filled the room, booming through the speakers in the ceiling. “Ahh! Sorry children, I’m not used to this young-folk technology quite yet. Mm. Yes. Ms. Cheadle, what was I going to say?” A pause, with the slightest of voices in the background. “Ah yes! The meeting. All students will congregate on floor 251 in half an hour. We will begin with the elementary school students as of present, and then proceed up the floors until all college students have gathered on the top floor.

“Hall advisors will be stationed at the entrance and exit of every floor, at the elevators and stairs. Your names will be electronically recorded when you present yourselves to them, and any student unaccounted for by their hall advisor will be punished. It is absolutely necessary for all students to attend this meeting.” The man stopped talking, and more voices in the background whispered to him hastily before he added: “Also, this is principal Netero. You may proceed to the upper floor now! The schools will be permitted to leave when I give them the cue. Have a great day!” And with that, the loud speakers shut off, leaving the room in silence.

Gon looked at Killua, who flopped onto his back with his hands behind his head. “Killua, what do we do now?”

The boy shrugged, rolling onto his stomach and pulling out a game controller. “We can play on my Joy Station if you want. My parents let me bring it from home and I’ve got a bunch of sweet games for it.”

Gon looked at the device quizzically. “Mm, what’s a Joy Station?”

Killua flinched as if Gon’s words had physically harmed him. “J-Joy Station is the most popular gaming system around. Do you live under a rock?”

The words came out harsher than he intended, and he immediately wanted to pull them back. But Gon was unfazed, and he picked up the purple controller next to Killua. “No, we just don’t have a lot of them on Whale Island. Can you teach me how to play?”

Relieved that his words didn’t hurt Gon’s feelings, Killua started up the system and put his favorite game in—Soccer World Champions. He noticed Gon perk up when he saw the title of the game, but said nothing as the opening played through and they got to the player screen.

Killua noticed Gon freeze up as he saw one face in the bottom right corner of the screen. The cursor moved slowly towards Killua’s favorite player, until Gon’s red player two selected the man first.

“Oi! I was gonna—“

“That’s my dad.”

Gon’s words stopped Killua’s protest before it left his mouth. The white-haired teen flipped his eyes between his friend and the avatar on the screen, captain of the Zodiacs. There was a slight resemblance between the two, and Killua felt his breath hitch.

“No. Way. Gon _Freecss?_ As in, son of the famous _Ging Freecss?!_ You’re like famous!”

Killua couldn’t contain his excitement. Here he was, best friends with somebody whose dad was famous? Not only did he find his best friend, but he also found out that he had connections—the good kind, at that.

But Gon shook his head solemnly. “No. It’s just my dad. I mean, nobody even knows he has a son until I bring it up. So to me, he’s just another famous person. It’s still nice to call him dad though. To know I have one, I mean.”

Killua was silent. He knew exactly what Gon was talking about, but chose not to ruin this moment between the two by bringing up his own demons. He changed the subject lightheartedly instead. “Alright, well, it doesn’t matter if you pick Freecss anyway, because I’ll still kick your butt!”

Gon smiled at the challenge in Killua’s voice. “Bring it on, I dare you!”

For what seemed like ages, but only was a few minutes, the boys played together, throwing a couple of pillows and chocorobos in the process at each other. In the end, Killua beat Gon 5-0, even though Gon was starting to get better at the controller.

“All high school students may now proceed to the elevator shafts and stairwells in an orderly fashion,” a woman’s voice ordered over the PA, breaking Gon and Killua out of their gaming paradise.

As Killua began packing up the console, Gon stretched and waited for him. Together, the two headed into the hallway, only to be crammed against the wall as eager classmates pushed past them.

By the time they made it to the end of the hallway, bodies were being shoved into the elevators, with one student almost on top of the one next to them. The boys could tell that there was not going to be any room for them, and allowed the crowd to push them towards the entrance to the stairwell.

An upperclassman stood in front of them, with his red-orange hair slicked back and weird face-paint on his cheeks—a star and a tear. He looked down at the two younger boys and licked his lips, eyeing them like a predator does with a piece of prey within its grasp.

“Why, hello~ there. My name’s Hisoka and I’m the hall advisor for your grade. If you need any help with anything at _all,_ feel free to call me. _I’m always here._ ” The man bent down to coo in the two boys’ ears, sending shivers up their spines.

Gon was the first to speak. “Uh-um. Ah, thanks, for that…Hisoka. We just need to get up to the upper level, so can we um…do that? Please?” The spikey-haired teen tried to be as polite as he could toward the obviously pedophilic upperclassman.

Hisoka’s coy smile just twisted more, making him look more dangerous than he had before. “Mm, why of course. Just state your names and I’ll send you on your way. Unless you need an escort…”

Killua shook his head so fast Gon thought it would take off and fly away. “NO! I mean-er, no that won’t be necessary, thanks. It’s Killua Zoldyck and Gon Freecss, by the way. Nice meeting you!”

Killua’s slender fingers wrapped around Gon’s wrist and forced his way past Hisoka and the bustling crowd around them, causing people to call out in frustration as they toppled over from his sheer force of wanting to escape the creep. Gon felt Hisoka’s eyes on them as they started up the stairs, and felt relief as they turned their first corner.

“Sheesh, I hope they do background checks before they allow just anyone to become a hall advisor. I thought he was going to ask us if his hand rag smelled like chloroform and drag us away!” Killua threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

“Zoldyck?”

The white-haired boy froze mid-step as Gon’s questioning voice came from behind him. _He heard that? Please don’t recognize it…_

“Like…as in…”

_Crap!_

“The toy making company?”

Killua couldn’t hide the absolute disappointment at Gon’s remark. His mouth was hanging slightly agape and his eyes rolled back into his head as the pain from Gon’s question sank in. _Toy making company?! DOES HE REALLY LIVE UNDER A ROCK?! This kid is the absolute definition of an idiot if he recognizes the Zoldyck name for_ that!

As he was about to make a snide remark about it, a scream from a few floors up broke him off, sending chills up his spine as he recognized it instantly. It was a little girl’s scream, and it wasn’t the one he liked to hear. It was only heard when she was scared or cornered and had no way of escaping rather than screaming for help.

“ALLUKA!”

Killua flew up the stairs, taking them three at a time, not even bothering to slow down to wait for Gon to catch up. At this point, nothing mattered more than getting to his sister. He barreled past students trying to get to the top floor, who had evidently not heard his sister’s scream. It was only natural, though, since their ears were not accustomed to hearing her voice.

As he was rounding the second to last corner, he crashed into a hard, muscled body that sent him crashing down the flight of stairs. His vision fuzzy and head spinning, he caught a glimpse of long black hair and a dark green varsity jacket looming above him. Killua’s heart began palpating at an alarming rate, crashing against his rib cage and sending his adrenaline pumping through his veins. Every inch of his body screamed at him to run, to turn away and into the corridor behind him. _Escape! Do it now! Run!_

Killua clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking as he stood to face the lion-like figure in front of him, averting his eyes to stare at his feet. “What, Illumi. I need to get up there. Get out of my way.”

The older boy tilted his head to one side, boring his black, soulless eyes into Killua’s forehead as the white-haired teen refused to look at him. “For what, Kil. You don’t need to rush. Principal Netero is giving everyone plenty of time to get to the top floor, you know.”

Killua felt like coughing up blood in disgust. “You heard her screaming, Illumi. And besides, you’re not even supposed to be out here yet. The college students haven’t been permitted to leave yet.”

Illumi maintained his calm composure as he responded to his brother’s harsh tone. “I’m a hall advisor to the special education students. I was simply escorting them to the top hall.”

All at once, Killua’s heart stopped beating. He felt his whole body turn numb as Illumi’s words sank in. Alluka was in the special education class today when her school was called. She must have taken the stairs because the elementary students and other special education students needed the elevators. So Illumi, their older brother, ‘volunteered’ to help them. She must have agreed to it because she wanted to give her brother a second chance.

Killua’s fists clenched and he could feel his nails digging into the palms of his hands. “What. Did. You. Do. To. Her?” He managed to spit through gritted teeth.

Illumi pressed the palms of his hands together. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kil. I simply led Alluka and his friends to the next check point for their grade and passed them off to the next hall advisors. He should be fine.”

Killua felt like throttling his brother at this point, but choked down his rage for his sister’s sake. “ _She_ doesn’t need your help. _She_ is perfectly fine doing things on her own without _you_ getting in her way. Now, move!”

Killua forced himself to brush past his brother, still avoiding eye contact. He was sure that his heart beat could be heard bouncing off the walls of the now-deserted stair case, but he didn’t care. He _had_ to get to Alluka, no matter what.

Soon, his hurried footsteps were being echoed as Gon huffed and puffed up behind him, his face visibly red. “S-sorry Killua! I tripped running up here, and then this weird lady was standing in my way and I couldn’t get around her. But, I’m here now. What’s wrong with Alluka?”

Killua didn’t break his stride as he answered Gon’s question. “I’m not sure, and that lady back there was my older brother, Illumi. He hates Alluka and thinks our family would be better off without her, so he always puts her through crap. I heard her screaming, so that’s why I ran off without you. I’m sorry.”

Gon shook his head, smiling. “No, don’t be sorry. Your sister needs you, so let’s go!”

Killua smiled and nodded, pulling ahead of Gon as they reached the final staircase where another scream pierced the air. He felt his heart throbbing in his chest this time, much more painful than when he was confronting his brother. Everything was in sharp focus, and he could make out the smallest of details in the walls and floor as he raced towards the blood-curdling screaming.

As he neared the corner, Killua’s feet were moving without him, his whole body numb with dread at what he might find. It wouldn’t be the first time Alluka had gotten into a sticky situation, but usually either Killua or Kalluto were with her, making a strong defensive around her to prevent her from actually getting hurt. _Why did I let her go back down without me? I should have walked with her at least. This is all my fault. What am I going to do if she’s hurt?_ Killua was already beating himself up as he turned to corner to see the gut-wrenching scene play out before him.

Three boys, probably in their third year in high school, surrounded three young girls, all about age eleven if Killua had to guess. Alluka had her arms sprawled out in front of her, shielding the two smaller girls from their attackers. Both of the smaller girls had white canes with red tape around them, and Killua recognized them as members of the blind class on the special education floor. They were trembling like leaves in an autumn breeze behind Alluka, but they had their canes out, ready to help the girl in a moment’s notice.

“L-leave us alone already! We’re not bothering you! Just let u-us go!” Alluka stuttered through her demands, very unconvincingly. Killua could feel heat rising up in his chest as he heard his sister’s voice quiver at the intimidation.

One of the boys leaned forward and slammed his palm against the wall, making the whole floor feel like it was shaking. Alluka cringed against the other girls, who let out cries of distress. The boy leaned forward and laughed in her face, making her shrink back further. “You’re just a lousy Zoldyck. Scum like you need to be taught a lesson. And your older brother said we could have our way with you if we want, so you’re gonna shut up and do what we say, and maybe we won’t hurt you.” Killua could see streams of tears running down Alluka’s face at this point, and her breathing came in sharp, ragged gasps as she struggled not to sob.

 _Move! Get in there! What are you waiting for?_ Killua’s feet were glued to the ground, and he couldn’t force himself to intervene. _What’s wrong with you?!_ He felt like punching himself, but his whole body was cold and wouldn’t do as it was told.

“Now, are you ready to have some fun?” He heard one of the other boys sneer, and Killua thought he was going to snap.

But out of nowhere, a voice came from behind him, snapping him out of his fear-induced daze. “Alluka! There you are, we’ve been looking all over for you!”

Killua turned his head to look at Gon in disbelief. His friend grasped his wrist tightly and dragged him around the corner so that the other boys could see that they were witnessing everything that was happening in front of them. The three stumbled back at the sight of Killua and his reinforcements, opening up an escape route for Alluka and her friends. Alluka grabbed her friends and ran them behind the two older boys, cowering behind their muscular backs.

“Thanks for finding Alluka for us,” Gon purred, looking at the three other boys through slit eyes. Killua felt a chill run down his spine as he noticed the threatening stance and malicious daggers that Gon shot out from his pupils. He could tell that he was sizing them up. “How can we repay you?” The words had layered meaning, and Killua could already feel his body tensing up at the confrontation before him.

The three boys wouldn’t be a problem for him, he could tell. He was easily more muscular than them, and it seemed as if they relied more so on their size than actual bodily strength. They were all in the same year, but Killua could tell that they had to be related, for they all had the same black lines extending beneath their eyes, and the same facial features as well. The one that cornered Alluka seemed to be regaining some confidence, though, as he realized that they outnumbered Gon and Killua.

“You better watch out who you’re defending there, freshman. Zoldycks are the scum of the underworld, you might not want to be found associating with them. That’s what we were just about to teach Mister Alluka and his friends here. That is, what happens when you pick a fight with the Amori brothers.”

“You’re the ones that cornered us!” Alluka piped up from behind Gon, clutching onto his shoulders tightly. But one quick glare from the portliest of the three brothers before them shut her up quick.

“If it’s a fight with a Zoldyck you want,” Killua’s strength was returning to him as they insulted not only him, but also his younger sister and brother, who had nothing to do with his family’s…profession. “Then I’ll gladly fight all three of you. Just don’t complain when you have to wipe up your own blood from the walls.”

This threat clearly struck a chord with the three, for they took a step back. It was only for a brief second, though, because the oldest of the three suddenly lunged forward, aiming for Killua’s head with his fist. Killua was faster though, managing to dodge the attack and grabbing the boy’s arm in the process. He twisted it and darted behind his back, holding him in a locked position that would break the boy’s arm if he so much as twitched. He kicked his feet out from under him, sending him careening down onto his knees so that Killua loomed above him.

“You’re really idiots, aren’t you?” He sneered, enjoying the twisted look of pain on the Amori’s face. Tears were welling in his eyes, and Killua lavished the whimpering that was coming from the back of his throat. He was about to slide his arm up his back to break his shoulder, when Gon’s voice cut through his sadistic reverie.

“Killua, look out!”

Killua hadn’t a second to respond, before the fist was suddenly upon him, sending him spiraling through the air and into the adjacent wall. The wind was forced from his lungs, and he felt bruises already beginning to form all along his spine and the back of his head.

Dazed, Killua struggled to his feet, trying to look through the haze that was forming along the edges of his vision. He saw Gon running towards him as his sister led her friends to the nearest stairwell, away from the boys who were now advancing towards Killua as well. Killua managed to put his fists up protectively in front of his face as Gon arrived to steady him.

“Killua, just stop! Alluka is fine! She got away, let’s just go before you get hurt more!”

Killua spit blood off to the side and wiped his chin as they were slowly surrounded. “No, Gon. I’m tired of people thinking they can push us around because our dad’s in the mafia. I’m tired of Alluka and Kalluto suffering because of his stupidity. So I’m gonna end it, right here, right now.”

Gon knew there was no getting through to him, and put up his fists too. “Then I’ll stand by you. Even if your parents are…a little infamous. To me, you’ll always be my best friend, and nothing will change that.”

As Killua looked over at Gon in disbelief, that he had just taken his family’s secret in stride, without so much as blinking, he saw a fist hurdling through the air at Gon’s blind spot. Without thinking, he shoved Gon out of the way, allowing himself to be punched right on the temple. As soon as the fist contacted him, his whole head exploded in pure, white-flamed agony, blurring his vision and senses until, finally, the sweet release of blackness washed over him, and his consciousness was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mwahahaha more cliffhangers :3  
> poor little babies. i love them so much. why do people gotta hate idk man idk


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so my chapters are usually 10 pages long, but this one is only 9. Also it's way different than the way I originally planned, but I like this one better so :P
> 
> Also, there is a *spoiler alert* in here if you have not seen "Phantom Rogue," the Hunter x Hunter movie. It's not a canon movie, but I just really like one of the characters from it so I'm making them canon in my AU, if that makes sense. Okay<3 Thanks for reading this far, hope you've enjoyed it! Feel free to leave comments/criticism, it's always appreciated! You guys rock!<33
> 
> x

Soft light trickling through the hospital ward’s drawn shades cast pale gray shadows across the figures of two sleeping boys in the hospital bed. The steady drip of the sink in the bathroom next to them matched the slowly beating hearts of the snoozing teens. The strong sterile smell of antibiotics and sanitizer, combined with the smell of setting plaster was soothing, pungent smell of cleanliness.

One of the slumbering forms on the bed stirred, awakened by the heat on his back. His arms splayed out in front of him, groping at the empty air above his companion’s bed. He buried his head into the soft hospital sheets, trying to savor the last wisps of sleep that were starting to escape his clutches. With a raspy groan, he brought his hands back to his face and dragged them down, pulling his skin down over his skull, making his eyes droop.

Citrine eyes lazily rolled over the room, making little attempt to focus on one object. They felt dry, still heavy with sleep even after rubbing them. A yawn pulled at the back of his throat, and his mouth gaped wide as the sleep-induced inhalation overcame him, making him throw back his head.

The boy smacked his lips together and started looking around a little more clearly, and his memories slowly returned to him, like the dripping water in the next room. He looked down at the warm mound next to him that he was using as a pillow as he slept. White ruffled hair was messy and unkempt, and the smell of his friend’s bandages and antibiotics brought him fully back to the present, the traces of sleep all but gone.

Gon watched as Killua slept, his thin frame shifting slightly beneath the warm bed sheets. His breath was slow and rumbly in the back of his throat, almost a purr. His face had bandages wrapped tightly around his temple, covering his left eye. His white hair poked up in between the hastily applied bandages that Gon had not noticed were on his face before fully awaking. A sling was holding his arm against his chest, and a bright blue cast was wrapped around his arm.

Gon tried to recall what had happened the day before, sleep still holding some of his memories tightly. He remembered there being a fight, and Killua pushing him out of the way to take a blow to the head, rendering him unconscious.

_“Killua!” Gon screamed as his friend collapsed next to him, seeming smaller now that the light had been knocked out of him. His body lay crumpled on the ground, unresponsive. Gon felt his chest tighten as he looked at Killua’s helpless form on the body._

_One of the boys surrounding them nudged him with his foot, snickering as Killua rolled onto his back, exposing a very red and swollen wrist. He must have broken it when he fell on it. Gon felt heat explode across his face, neck, and chest when he saw it, and red covered his vision as he tried to remain level headed._

_“Psh. I thought these stupid thugs were supposed to be tougher than that. He crumpled to the ground like he was made of paper after one hit! What a wuss.”_

_The tallest of the three boys took his foot and pressed down on Killua’s wrist—hard. Gon was immobilized by his anger when he heard the bones crack beneath his foot, and he struggled to keep his mind in the present, rather than imagining beating the three harassers in front of him to a pulp._

_He felt a hard smack on the back of his head, snapping him completely into the present. His eyes focused on Killua’s unconscious body beneath him, his eye already swelling from where the boy hit him. Gon felt the heat spreading up from his stomach, threatening to overflow._

_The boy behind him scoffed. “This one’s just as weak. Man, underclassmen suck. If we hurry, we can probably catch up to those girls and mess them up, too.”_

_Something inside of Gon snapped. It pushed him over the edge. Before he could fully register what he was doing, he felt his arm swinging around, contacting the largest boy square across the jaw, sending him careening backwards into the wall. The others let out streams of cusses as their brother collapsed, knocked out cold._

_“What the--? You’re crazy!”_

_Gon whirled around as another came crashing into him, knocking his head against the wall. He felt dazed—his vision, already erratic with rage, began to go hazy around the edges as pain clouded his head. He let out a yelp of pain as the boy dug his nails into his arms, slamming his body repeatedly against the hard brick._

_“I’ll mess you up! You think you can just hit my brother like that?! I’ll mess you—“_

_Gon brought his head forward and smacked it against the other’s head. He watched as his aggressor’s eyes rolled back into his head and his body slowly slumped to his knees, then lay flat against the floor._

_“Ah…crap.” Gon’s vision was extremely hazy now; he had a hard time standing up straight._ Shouldn’t have done that… _He thought to himself. He was clutching his head, trying to numb the agonizing throbbing with pressure, when he felt a fist contact his jaw, splitting his lip. Blood poured out from the wound, and pain seared through his entire lower face._

_Forcing open his clenched eyes, he saw the last, and strongest, of the three brothers standing before him, a shimmering silhouette in his blurred vision. He saw him pull his fist back for another blow, when a dark figure from nowhere sped past him, removing the boy from his vision._

_Gon struggled to squint through the haze, but it was no use—his vision was done. He had taken quite the beating—his entire body was shaking from the strain that had been placed on it. His line of vision—or what was left of it, anyway—was lowering, and he felt the hardwood floor meet his knees as he sunk to them. As his body lolled to the side, he managed to get his vision to focus for a split second on magenta eyes and long, flowing dark hair. The figure before him mouthed something, but the pain in Gon’s head was unbearable, and he couldn’t make out the words. His eyes fluttered, and he was gone._

And now, he was in the hospital ward, laying sprawled out across Killua as they slept. He must have gotten up sometime during the night to spend it by Killua, for both of them were dressed in sterile white hospital gowns.

The remnants of his headache still lingered on the edges of his brain, but they were hardly noticeable after sleeping. Gon was more worried about Killua’s health, anyway. Although Gon had been beaten pretty badly, Killua was in worse shape than he was, showing more of the signs of the fight than Gon sported.

Gon leaned forward and prodded Killua’s chest gently. “K-Killua…” he whispered, voice hoarse and raspy. He cleared it and began again, poking a little more aggressively. “Hey, Killua.”

His friend’s right eye trembled, dark blue showing through the white lashes as he attempted to wake up. Gon beamed at the signs of life. Killua jostled in his bed, trying to roll away from Gon.

“Go away. I’m trying to sleep,” he mumbled coldly, mistakenly rolling onto his bad arm.

Killua let out a yelp, fully awake now. He thrashed about in the confining sheets, struggling to free himself from their clutches. Gon reclined in his visiting chair, enjoying the scene to the fullest. A smug grin spread across his face as he watched Killua get flustered.

When the boy finally calmed down, the sheets were spread out across the floor, draped over the side of the bed, and even some were still wrapped around Killua’s head. He glared at Gon through the sheets, his icy-blue eyes slicing through the warm sunlight.

“What. What happened?” He demanded, attempting to change the subject from his previous flailing.

Gon shrugged. “Beats me. I tried to beat those guys up after they knocked you unconscious, but they ended up handing me my own butt in the process. Then I woke up here.” He decided to leave out the part where he was essentially cuddling with Killua—he didn’t need to know that embarrassing detail so soon after waking up.

Killua sank down into the bed, hiding his face in his hands. “Ugh. This is all my fault. I’m sorry Gon. I got you mixed up in this mess.”

Gon shook his head fiercely, even though Killua couldn’t see it. “No, Killua. It was my choice, becoming your friend. And my choice means that I’m going to stick with you, no matter what. Even if we both get hurt.”

Killua peeked through his fingers, and Gon’s look of determination made the blush that he was hiding with the sheets burn brighter. “Don’t say stuff like that…it’s weird.”

Gon’s face fell and he pouted. “Is not! I’m being completely honest!”

Killua shook his head, looking at Gon with his one good eye. “Stop! You’re making it worse!”

“Uwah! How do I say what I mean and not make you embarrassed?”

“Just stop talking! Argh!”

Gon puffed up his cheeks and looked at Killua defiantly. “Don’t tell me what to do! It’s not my fault you’re twisting my words and making them sound weird…you…you… _pervert!_ ”

Killua gasped in horror, throwing the remaining sheets on him off the bed. His one eye blazed at Gon, who shrunk back at the sudden heat, smiling apologetically and rubbing the back of his head. “I AM NOT A PERVERT! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!”

Gon chuckled and covered his mouth slyly. “ _That’s something a pervert would say_.”

Killua yowled and hurled himself across the bed at Gon, sending them both tumbling backwards onto the cold tile flooring. Gon cried in surprise, guffawing as the two boys wrestled on the ground, all their injuries pushed to the back of their minds. Killua’s hands were wrapped playfully around Gon’s neck, and Gon’s legs were pressed against Killua’s toned stomach, pushing him up in the air easily as the door to their hospital room opened, revealing a petite woman with short, tousled white hair.

The boys rolled away from each other embarrassedly, avoiding the woman’s piercing yellow eyes. She walked slowly up to them, staring down at them without visible malice, but the pressure her gaze placed on them was enough to squash the air from their lungs easily.

“Boys. My name is nurse Neferpitou, but you may call me Pitou. Doctor Blythe asked me to check on you. You seem to be doing well. How do you feel?”

Killua, feeling small beneath her eyes, chose not to look at her face but instead at her feet. “F-fine,” he muttered, not appreciating how she made him shrink.

But Gon was a little…less aware of the threatening aura that surrounded her, and instead looked her straight in the eye with a large smile. “I’m doing great, thanks! Can we go to our room now? We missed what principal Netero had to say…”

The weight in the room suddenly vanished, as if Gon’s extroverted nature eased the situation. The woman smiled, but shook her head.

“No, I’m sorry. Doctor Blythe would like to keep Mr. Zoldyck in bed rest here for another day due to the concussion he received. Mr. Freecss is able to return to his dormitory suite whenever he feels comfortable, because his injuries were far less severe. Your punishments are being debated over by the school board at the moment, but it seems as though your witnesses defended you quite thoroughly.”

The woman stepped aside to reveal Alluka standing behind her, flanked by the two girls from the day before. They each had flowers in their hands and held on tightly to Alluka’s shirt hem. The girl pulled them in quickly as she raced toward her brother, throwing the flowers on the ground to embrace him.

“Big brother! Are you okay? They wouldn’t let me in until you woke up!” She glared at nurse Pitou, who held her gaze steadily, before turning her loving attention back to the boys. “Did they hurt you much?”

Killua shook his head. “No, I mean it still kinda hurts if you squeeze me too much but—“

“Good. Then—“ Alluka smacked his cheek lightly, but it was enough sound to make everyone else freeze in their spots. “What in the _world_ were you thinking? You could have been really, _really_ hurt, you dummy big bro!”

Killua sat in shock that his sweet younger sister just smacked him. First he gets his butt kicked by three older classmen for being a Zoldyck, now this. He wouldn’t have been more surprised if Illumi came prancing into the room wearing a bright pink tutu doing the cancan dance with a foxbear.

The room’s tense atmosphere was broken by one of the girls still hovering in the doorway. She had tight blonde curls framing her delicate jawline, and her turquoise eyes stared into nothingness, a slight white haze covering the pupils. It made her entire appearance look like that of a fairy princess, innocent and beautiful. Her voice sounded like tinkling bells as she said “Um, s-sorry to interrupt…but, ah. Komugi and I—“ she gestured vaguely towards the other girl, whose eyes remained shut—“wanted to give you these.”

The girl shuffled forward, holding out the flowers she held in her delicate hands. Gon rose to take them from her, holding her hand steady as he did so. Her face turned a pale pink to match the roses.

“Thank-you. My name’s Gon. What’s yours?” Gon smiled, although he knew she couldn’t see it.

The girl smiled back nonetheless, however. “Retz. Retz Omokage.”

Gon smiled sweetly. “That’s a pretty name, for a pretty girl.”

Retz’s tinkling laughter filled the room, and everyone relaxed. Everyone that is, except for one.

Killua leapt to his feet and stalked over to stand next to Gon. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t like Gon talking to this _girl._ “Don’t _I_ get any flowers? I was there too, ya know,” he barked gruffly, the words coming out harsher than he intended.

The brashness of his demand startled the second girl, who had still not moved from her original position. She dropped the flowers she was holding, letting out a gasp of air. Her white pig tails jostled as she fell to her knees, searching for them frantically, although they were just out of her reach.

“S-sorry! I-I didn’t mean to! Th-these are for you, Killua. Ah, darn it. I can’t find them!” Her finger tips were just missing the edges of the stems, and Killua felt his heart sink to his stomach in guilt. He walked slowly over and picked them up, putting them in Komugi’s hands. The girl sniffled, clutching them to her chest as she sluggishly stood up, tottering to the side. Killua’s hands grabbed her waist and steadied her.

“Thanks,” she smiled at him, her eyes still closed. She handed him the flowers sweetly.

Killua’s face turned bright red again, not used to all these people being so open with him. He turned his cheek to the side to hide it from her, his natural reflex. “Yeah. Thanks to you too, I guess.” Komugi giggled.

Just then, Gon remembered something. He turned to Alluka and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side for a bear hug. The girl squeaked and struggled against his strong grasp. “Thanks, Alluka, for saving us back there, by the way. That was really cool of you.”

The girl stopped struggling and peered up at him curiously. “Help? That wasn’t me.”

Gon looked at her, confused. “But, if you didn’t stop that guy from smashing my face in, then who was it?”

Alluka shrugged. “Beats me. I ran through the halls screaming that “Gon Freecss and Killua are getting beat up on the next floor, somebody go help!” but pretty much everybody ignored me because they think I’m crazy. But two guys—this blond one with a weird bowl cut and a tall, loud one—said they’d go and get help, and then they ran off in the other direction. Maybe it was them?”

Gon shook his head in denial. “No, that doesn’t sound right. The person I saw had long black hair and blue eyes. It was definitely a woman too, just by the way she looked.”

Alluka pondered for a minute, leaning her head against Gon’s ribcage due to her still being in the headlock. “Mm…maybe she was a teacher? Maybe those guys went and got a teacher. That’s the only thing I can think of…”

Nurse Pitou cut into the conversation just then. “The woman that brought you in—her name is Ms. Siberia. She’s an elementary school teacher in the lower levels. She rounded up some upperclassmen by the names of…oh, what were they again? Leopika and Kurario? Something like that.”

For some reason, the names sounded familiar to Gon. He tried to dig in his memory bank, but nurse Pitou continued before he could go back far enough.

“They carried you all the way up here from floor 155. If you’d like, I can give you Ms. Siberia’s classroom number and you can visit her. I’m sure she’d enjoy your gratitude.”

Killua was about to object to having to go to some snotty-nosed elementary section before Gon interjected. “Yes! Thank-you so much!”

As nurse Pitou ushered the girls out of the room, claiming the boys needed some time to heal, she wrote down the floor number and classroom number for Ms. Siberia. “There you go, boys. Doctor Blythe doesn’t want Mr. Zoldyck to leave his bed for another 24 hours, so stay here until I give the ‘ok.’”

Gon nodded as she walked out of the room. Killua just slunk to his bed, suddenly exhausted at having so much excitement. Gon pounced onto his feet as he lay down, sitting at the edge of his bed and jumping up and down excitedly.

Killua looked at him crossly through his one good eye. “Do you mind? I’m trying to sleep. My head is killing me.”

Gon slowed his bounces, looking at Killua pleadingly, pouting his lips. “Awww Killua don’t you wanna stay up and talk some more?” he whined, giving him puppy eyes.

Killua just rolled his own. “No. I’m the son of the city’s greatest mafia don, my little sister is getting harassed on a daily basis, my brother is trying to kill her, I just got my ass kicked, and I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed.”

Gon whined and crawled up next to Killua in the space between his body and the guard rails. Killua felt a shiver run down his spine as Gon’s warm breath tickled his neck. “Pleaase? We’ve just gotten back together after two years. Let’s talk~!”

Killua pulled the sheets up over his head. “Go to sleep, Gon.”

Gon huffed and rolled over, pressing his back against Killua’s. He didn’t care that he had his own room next door, he remembered. He’d rather spend the night in Killua’s, sharing their warmth, and staying close to the friend that he thought he lost all those years ago. 


	5. Chapter 5

Killua awoke with a start, his insides squirming as if he had swallowed a hundred living snakes all trying to fight their way out. The room swam before him, all the contrasting shapes and shadows swimming in his head as he struggled to sit up. His whole body trembled as a cold sweat settled in, and his clammy hand groped for something solid to hold him up.

As he struggled to his feet, Killua racked his brains to figure out what was wrong with him. Last night, Doctor Blythe confirmed that he and Gon could return to their rooms, but were not to attend classes for a few days. She removed the bandages on his head, but kept his arm tightly wrapped in the cast. He made it to the bathroom just in time to dry-retch into the toilet, nothing but bile coming out from his mouth. A choked sob came from deep within him as he tried to eliminate whatever that was inside him that was making him sick. Another heave shook his body, and he clutched to the sides of the toilet desperately.

As his left arm strained against the brace, sharp pain shot through Killua’s entire body, making his brain go haywire. He let out a strained scream, sounding more like an animal in pain than a sixteen year old boy. Immediately, he hunched over and the pain-induced retching began again. Tears were flowing freely down the boy’s already sweat-soaked face as the pain sent tremors through is entire frame.

At that point, Killua was too weak to sit up. Both the pain from his broken arm and the effort from dry heaving left him exhausted, and he pressed his drenched back against the cold tile floors of his bathroom, enjoying as his hot skin soaked up the coolness.

His eyelids fluttered as he heard the bedroom door creak open slowly, but he was physically incapable of getting up to greet whoever had come at such an untimely moment. The pain his body was in was slowly forcing him back into unconsciousness, and he regretted not getting up earlier to take his pain medications that Ms. Pitou had given him.

The shuffling in the bedroom on the other side of the door got closer and louder, seemingly frantic as they moved throughout the rooms beyond. Several doors opened before the person gave up looking silently and started calling Killua’s name.

Gon’s voice wafted sweetly through the door, helping Killua to remain conscious. “Killua? Are you hiding? Where are you?”

Killua feebly attempted to sit up to call out to Gon, but instead pain met his tries and he collapsed back down those few inches, groaning as his body hit the floor with a smack.

Gon rapped his knuckles on the door quickly but steadily, not wanting to interrupt if Killua was doing his _business_. “Kil, are you okay in there?”

Killua moaned loudly, being his only means of communicating. He was barely able to roll his head to the side. He was starting to catch a chill, the sweat from his body conducting the cold too easily.

Gon struggled with the doorknob, but Killua had locked it out of habit. “Kil, can you open the door? I can’t get in.”

Killua moaned. “No…c-can’t…move,” he managed, clutching his stomach with his good hand.

Gon sighed audibly from the other side. “I’m going to get the key. Don’t try to move.”

Killua shuddered as the cold crept through his body, chilling him to the bone. The tears on his face had dried, leaving his skin dry and stretching uncomfortably across his face. His shirt was sticking to his body across his stomach and chest, and his hair clung to his sweat-stained forehead. Crusted bile sat on his chin, making him want to run his tongue over it to lessen the dry, tight feeling it left, but resisted because he knew it would make him sicker. He just lay unpleasantly on the cold, hard floor.

Gon’s return was signaled by the sound of the doorknob jiggling anxiously. Killua heard the metallic scrape of the key against the keyhole and let out a quiet sigh of relief as Gon thrust the door open, revealing a disheveled Killua spread-eagle on the floor, the sour stench of the vomit reaching his nose and almost making him recoil.

Killua smiled weakly up at him. “H-hey…”

Gon shook his head at his friend, bending low to scoop him up in his arms. Killua cringed as his bad arm swung around painfully, curling into Gon’s warm chest for reassurance. Gon tucked Killua’s sweaty head under his chin to keep it from rolling around. Killua welcomed the tender gesture as Gon carried him out of the bathroom to his bed. Gently, Gon laid his friend on his bed, pulling the sheets over his pale form.

As the warmth started to return to Killua’s body, he felt a small blush creep up his neck to his cheeks. Whether it was from the newfound heat, or from being coddled by his friend, he didn’t know. What he did know, though, was his senses were starting to return to him as the pain started to ebb, solely located in his wrist now. And with that return came the overwhelming aroma of food.

Killua’s stomach rumbled embarrassingly loud, and he was sure his entire family could have heard it on opposite ends of the building. Gon laughed and turned around to the coffee table located at the foot of Killua’s bed. The white-haired boy’s mouth started to water as Gon grabbed a large stack of pancakes and brought it over to Kil. He set them delicately down on his stomach, and placed the orange juice he had grabbed on the night stand.

“I brought these up for you because you were still sleeping when I left. I figured you’d be hungry. And when you didn’t come down after an hour, I got worried. Glad I came back up to check on you.”

Killua nearly choked on his orange juice at Gon’s demonstration of outright tenderness. He wasn’t used to this kind of treatment. When he would get sick at home, it was usually a maid scared out of her wits that his parents sent in to keep him quiet while they did their important “business” deals.

The pale boy just looked down at his pancakes as the blush turned brighter. “I told you to stop saying weird stuff like that…” he muttered, secretly pleased that someone had actually taken the time to care for him for once.

Killua stiffened as Gon’s large warm hands grasped his still-cold shoulders roughly. “And I’m telling you _now_ to stop.” Killua was forced to look up into Gon’s blazing, earnest eyes. “I’m your friend and when you need me, I’ll be there for you. Please, stop trying to make it weird that I care for you.”

The lump in Killua’s throat threatened to choke him, and he just nodded silently, adverting his eyes out the window.

Gon released him and sat at the foot of the bed. “When you’re done eating, do you think you’ll be okay to go visit Ms. Siberia? Or do you want to rest?”

Killua shrugged, shoving his face full of pancakes and syrup. “Mm. I need to take my medicine, and it makes me sleepy. Can we go in like an hour?”

Gon nodded, reclining across Killua’s feet. “Yeah. Don’t push yourself. We can go whenever you’re ready.”

After Kil had finished the breakfast Gon had brought up for him, and taken his pain-killers, he reclined against the propped up pillows. Something didn’t feel right though, and he felt cold as Gon stood up to give him his privacy as he slept.

“I’ll come back in half an hour okay? Just let me know if you don’t want to go then…” Gon slowly started to close the door before Killua stopped him.

“Wait, Gon!”

The door cracked open more to reveal Gon looking at Killua quizzically. He had given him breakfast, his medicine, and his color was starting to return, so he shouldn’t need anything else, right?

“What’s up?”

Killua’s face turned to the brightest red it had ever been in his life as he realized what he wanted to ask sounded stupid and would probably freak Gon out. “N-never mind…” he trailed off.

Gon huffed and leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed impatiently across his chest. “Killua, don’t be stubborn. Just tell me.”

Killua looked away from Gon. “My bed is cold…C-can you…” By accident, Killua’s eyes met Gon’s for a split second. Gon’s face melted into understanding and he crossed the room.

“Scooch over,” he commanded, sliding in next to Killua. The instant heat his body brought flowed into Killua’s body, relaxing his tense muscles. The soft touch of Gon’s body and his warm, musky smell mixed with honey soothed Killua’s strained nerves.

Gon wrapped his arm around Killua’s shoulders, drawing the shivering boy closer to him. “I’ll wake you up in an hour. Just sleep, okay?”

Killua woke again, but did so slowly as the heat that was beneath him just a moment before shifted away from his cold body. His head lolled to the side as Gon stretched beneath him, his arms pulling away from Kil’s shoulders. The smaller boy grumbled and wrapped his arms aggressively around Gon’s chest, holding him in place.

Gon laughed and pried Killua off of him. “Now who’s acting weird, Killua? I didn’t know you were such a cuddler.”

Killua stiffened and hissed, very awake now. “Tch. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gon smirked coyly, poking Killua’s bright cheek. “You wouldn’t let me go when you slept. I tried to move and you growled at me.”

Kil felt his stomach knot up. “Wh-whatever. You’re probably just making that up to be weird.” Gon was about to protest, but Killua shoved him off the bed, following quickly after him to cross to his dresser. He whipped out a clean uniform and threw it on the bed. “Get out, I need to get changed.”

Gon chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Don’t take too long, your majesty.”

Killua threw a sock at his head just as the door closed. He ripped his dirty clothes off of his body and shivered as the cold air played across his tight skin. Slowly, he replaced the clothes with his uniform smelling of detergent.

 _“Now who’s acting weird, Killua? I didn’t know you were such a cuddler.”_ Killua heard Gon’s words echo in his head. Why _was_ he so clingy around Gon? Was it the way he was so gentle with the boy? Because Killua hadn’t known the kindness of a stranger before, let alone anyone close to him, save Alluka and Nanika?

Gon calling out Kil’s name pulled him out of his thoughts. “Coming!” Killua hollered back, running to catch up to his friend who was just opening the front door.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. It’ll be quick.”

Killua shook his head. “Don’t be such a moron. I’m going to stick with you, no matter what.”

Gon smirked as Killua repeated what he said earlier. “Fine. Are you feeling good enough for a…race perhaps?”

Killua’s eyes sparked at the challenge. “It won’t be much of a race, since I can beat you with one hand behind my back…or in a cast, for that matter.”

Gon locked the door behind them, bunching up his legs, eager to start. “I’d like to see you try, cripple,” he challenged him, a hint of pride in his voice.

Killua stood next to him, his muscles essentially itching to get running. “On your mark…”

“Get set!”

Killua shot off as he shouted the last word: “GO!”

And the two boys took off in a sprint, heading for the lower levels and their savior.

Killua’s breathing came in ragged gasps as they reached floor 30. He and Gon had reached their destination at the same time, and emerged from opposite staircases victorious.

“I won!” Killua shouted. There was no way that Gon had been able to catch up to him after he got that second of a head start.

But Gon was just as adamant. “Over my dead body! I totally whooped your butt!”

Killua was about to retort when a harsh woman’s voice shouted over them: “BE QUIET! THERE ARE CHILDREN TRYING TO NAP!”

Both boys flinched, and jumped into each other in their shock, knocking them both flat on their rears. Rubbing their heads, they looked up to see a tall, skinny woman with pale gray-ish skin and clear, fuchsia eyes glared down at them threateningly. A few strands of scraggly black curls laid across her forehead, covering her eyes, while the rest was pulled back in a low-ponytail. She looked at the boys expectantly.

Gon was the first to speak, clearly unfazed by her strong presence. “Hi! My name’s Gon and this is Killua. We’re looking for Ms. Siberia. Do you know where we can find her?”

The woman seemed to grow defensive at the mention of the name. “I am her. What do you need?”

Gon smiled and jumped up, embracing her quickly. Killua’s jaw dropped to the ground as his friend hugged the woman they just met. She looked equally as surprised, her eyes growing wide and face turning bright red at the young man’s unexpected actions.

“Thank you for helping us! Ms. Pitou said you were the one that brought us up to the hospital wing. So, thank you!” Gon let her go, beaming.

The woman just gaped at him, reflecting Killua’s own shock. Killua’s eyes alternated between her and Gon, wondering who would react first. _What—what just happened??_

The woman fidgeted finally, grabbing her dress in her fists, balling it up. “N-no thanks are needed. Some students came to me saying two others were being beaten up, and I did what any other teacher would do.”

Gon shook his head. “No, you were the only one who came. You’re really great!”

The woman’s blush grew, and she smiled, looking at the ground sheepishly. “Well aren’t you a sweetie…”

For some reason, Killua’s heart clenched painfully in his chest, and the sick feeling came back to his stomach like a tidal wave. _Don’t act all innocent, lady. Gon’s still a student…_

“Would you care to come back to my classroom and help me out with the third graders?” She asked, more pointed at Gon than Killua, which made him edgier. Killua was about to refuse, claiming they had done what they came for, when Gon interrupted him.

“Sure! Anything to return the favor!”

Killua’s eye twitched, annoyed. Ms. Siberia just giggled at Gon’s kindness, oblivious to Killua’s shift in attitude. “Alright, then. Let’s go. You can have candy when we’re done, too.”

Killua’s ears pricked at that. “Candy…? What kind?”

Ms. Siberia looked at him coldly, revealing to Killua that she _had_ sensed his aggression towards her. “Chocorobos. But _only_ if you’re good, Mr. Zoldyck.”

Killua brightened at the mention of his favorite candy, but stiffened when he realized what she had just said. _How does she know my name…? Is that why—is that why she’s acting hostile?_

Before he could think any further, though Gon was pulling him down the corridor after Ms. Siberia. They walked past a few doors before coming to one that was closed for good measure—screaming children were obviously on the other side. As soon as Ms. Siberia opened the door, the chaos was opened to them as well.

Ms. Siberia led the two boys into the middle of the room, clapping her hands louder than the children to get their attention. “QUIET!” She screamed, earning the silence she called for.

All the children ran to their seats, looking at her expectantly. “This is Mr. Gon Freecss and Mr. Killua Zoldyck. They’re going to be helping us today. I expect you to be respectful towards them, or your parents will be called. Understand?”

The children chorused their agreement, instantly surrounding the two older boys. Killua silently regretted it as he was swarmed and pulled away from Gon by the girls.

“I’m Shidore. Mr. Killua, do you like dollies?” One little girl asked him, pulling him down with her surprising strength. Killua fell hard on his behind, trying not to drop the doll that was forced on him. He looked down and recognized the face of G.I. Joe, an action figure he had when he was younger.

“Yeah, I like dollies,” he admitted, standing Joe up. The little girl squealed and pulled out her own doll, a petite woman with long black hair and almond eyes.

“Good,” she squeaked. “This is Licca-chan. She’s married to Mr. Bob.”

Killua cringed as she misnamed his favorite toy. “Can his name be Joe…?”

“NO! His name is Bob and he loves Licca-chan with all his heart.”

Killua sighed. “Okay. Where do Bob and Licca-chan live?”

The girl paused for a moment, before pulling a shoe-box out from the toy box beside her. “This is their mansion. Licca-chan bought it for Bob for their wedding.”

Killua smiled. “’Licca-chan! I’m home!’” He called, walking his figure up to the box. Shidore placed Licca into the box gleefully.

“’Welcome home, honey!’” She giggled. Killua couldn’t help but smile at her innocence. She reminded him of Alluka when she was younger, so excited about everything.

 As Killua looked over to see if Gon was enjoying himself as much as he was, his smile faltered, replaced by a grimace of both disgust and rage. Ms. Siberia was bending low next to Gon, touching his shoulder slightly as she showed him how to play a board game he set up with some of the younger boys. Killua’s stomach churned at the sight of her giggling in Gon’s ear, and he could feel his face heating up.

Killua started to stand up, ready to pry Gon away from the woman. His entire body felt like it was electrified, and he didn’t understand why. Gon should be allowed to talk to other people. Gon is allowed to have other friends. So why did it bother him so much that Ms. Siberia was acting so clingy around him? Why was he feeling…jealous?

“M…Mr. Killua?” Shidore’s voice trembled next to him, and he felt her pull on his shirt sleeve. Glancing down, he saw tears brimming her eyes.

“What’s wrong, Shidore?”

She pointed at his right hand nervously. Killua followed her eyes and felt guilt wash over him just as quickly as the rage came. He had broken Joe in half.

Killua mentally face-palmed. _Good one, idiot. Now what are you going to…do?_

Killua’s hand flew up to his cheek, and he gasped loudly, startling the little girl. “Oh no! Doctor, this patient needs surgery immediately!”

The little girl gasped just as loud. “You’re right nurse! I’ll get the tape!”

Killua watched as she ran off to get the “surgery” supplies. But Ms. Siberia clinging to Gon still stuck in the back of his mind.

 _What makes her think she can touch_ my _Gon? We’re friends, not them. He’s mine. Forever. He said we’d be friends no matter what. And nobody, not even some teacher, is going to take that from me. Gon is forever mine, and I’ll make him keep that promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok ok this chapter is just a foreshadow of Killua's dependence on Gon and how possessive he gets. Expect more in the future with different displays ;) ;) (wink wink). 
> 
> Tell me what you think! Friendly criticism is always welcome, pls be gentle i am a delicate flower child. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> x


	6. Chapter 6

_Stupid Siberia…clinging on Gon like she owns him or something. She’s so dumb. Ugh. Why am I thinking about this…_? Killua mused angrily to himself as he stalked down the corridor towards the cafeteria. He couldn’t stop nagging himself since they left the third grade hallway. Why was he being so possessive? It wasn’t like _he_ owned Gon or anything either…

But when he looked back at his happy-go-lucky friend, who was merrily skipping behind him singing some song about dolphins or whatnot, with chocorobos smeared all over his stupid cute face, Killua couldn’t help but feel a twinge in his stomach. Of course Ms. Siberia would be drawn to him—nobody could help it. Even the blind girls that they helped were attracted to him. It was his beautiful, outgoing personality that—

 _Stop. Thinking. Like. That._ Killua scolded himself, clutching his fists angrily at his sides. He couldn’t stop thinking about Gon—and he didn’t know _why_. It’s not like he’d never had friends before—the butlers were always playing with him when he was younger, as well as the other gang members and his siblings. He wasn’t a lonely child that was for sure. But when he was around _Gon,_ it was a different story.

It was like his entire being, every fiber in him, longed to be near the spikey-haired boy. The day they met, four years ago, it was like he had been stumbling around in the dark for so long, groping around in blackness, searching for the very hand that he found that day at the amusement park. That single touch seemingly illuminated his entire world, sending him spiraling into a universe full of color and beauty that was hidden to him before. And when they were separated, Killua was thrown back into the dark, trudging along, alone once again. But it was different, that time, because he had known the warmth of having companionship—true companionship—and it was torn away from him.

But now that they were together again, Killua couldn’t get enough of Gon. He wanted every ounce of his attention, so that all those years that they were separated, and all the pain that came with them, could be undone. He didn’t care that they had barely known each other before, that they had only spent _one day together,_ he only cared that his dear friend had been returned to him.

Killua ran his hand through his hair as his thoughts ran wild. His instincts of wanting to wait until he knew _for sure_ he could really be friends with Gon fought his desire for companionship with such ferocity he felt his head might sucker punch his heart.

“Uwahhhh! This is so stupid!” Killua unknowingly growled aloud, clenching his right fist even tighter.

“What’s stupid, Killua~?” Gon chirped behind him, smearing the melted chocorobo on his face with the back of his palm. His brown eyes twinkled after just playing with the younger students, and his face was split in chocolate-covered, toothy grin. He had been trailing along behind his friend after they left Ms. Siberia’s classroom, devouring the chocorobo prize he had been given for his good behavior.

Killua sniffed and rolled his eyes. “You are. You’ve got chocolate all over your face. What are you, seven?”

Stopping, he pulled the sleeve of his uniform’s sweater over his hand and grabbed Gon’s shoulder with his other one. “You’re just like Alluka, always making a mess…” Killua muttered as he wiped away the candy without a second thought.

Gon squirmed under Killua’s doting actions, mumbling against the soft fabric a “thank-you.”

Just as he got the last smudge of brown off of Gon’s copper skin, Killua realized that he had crossed some unspoken boundary in his head. _Wh-what did I just_ do _?!_ He hadn’t realized how close he had gotten to Gon in the process of cleaning his face, but they were no more than a couple inches apart now. He could _feel_ Gon’s warm, chocolate-scented breath blow across his face.

 _Omigoshomigoshomigosh_. Killua felt his heart leap up into his throat and his stomach twist into a perfect pretzel as Gon’s eyes twinkled right in front of him. His pink lips were curled into a tiny smirk, and his skin had just the slightest dusting of freckles. Killua gulped as heat spread from his ears all the way down to his toes, and it felt like the entire world was burning around him.

“Killua, are you okay?” Gon cocked his head to the side as he watched his blue-eyed companion twitch uncomfortably, eyes swirling in a daze. His face was beet red, making the whiteness of his hair even more prominent than it usually was. His whole body was quivering, and if Gon so chose, he could probably knock him over with a single breath.

Killua jumped back as if Gon had electrocuted him. “Wh- _what?_ What? Who? Who’s oaky? A tree? What? _What?”_ Killua held up his hands defensively, swatting away at the air like a madman. Gon _knew_ something was wrong, and he was going to find out what.

“Are you _okay?_ ” He reiterated, emphasizing the last word slowly. Killua’s pale skin was starting to cool back down to its normal pale white, but it still had a light dusting of pink across his cheeks and ears.

“O-of course I’m _okay_. Do you think I’m some weirdo or something? Psh. You’re so weird.” Killua looked away, his hands flying into his pockets as he calmed down.

“Are you _sure?_ You still look a little pink to me. Do you feel okay? Do you want to go to the nurses off—?”

“I said I’m _fine,_ Gon,” he snapped, skin now completely normal. The heat from his skin was replaced by the usual flames in his eyes as he wordlessly dared Gon to continue asking him questions.

Even though Killua looked and sounded normal, Gon could feel that something was still off with his friend—he didn’t know how, but he felt something tugging at the back of his mind. _People don’t just turn red for no reason…and he was acting weird…_

“Did I do something wrong?” Gon blurted out. The question caught him off-guard: he wasn’t even expecting it. _But it’s true…he was acting weird when we got to Ms. Siberia’s room, and he wouldn’t stop looking at me, like he was angry. And then he helped me and turned red. What did I do to make him mad?_

“Wh-what? Mad? _At you?_ ” Killua stuttered, clearly more shocked than Gon. His face was turning pink again, and his eyes were so wide that his irises looked like two small flecks of blue amidst the whites of his eyes.

“Yeah. You’re acting funny again. What did I do to make you mad at me?” Gon asked him, his heart pounding. This wasn’t what he wanted: he didn’t want to fight with his best friend so soon after their happy reunion. Whatever he did to make Killua mad, he was determined to make it up to him, no matter what.

Killua, on the other hand, thought he was going to faint from the sheer weight of Gon’s questions. Was he really acting that strange? Sure, he was angry _about_ Gon, but he wasn’t mad _at_ him. _Ugh. What is_ happening?! Killua felt his eye twitch angrily as the question he had been asking all day popped back into his head.

“N-no. I’m not… _mad_. At you. Or anything. You’re j-just imagining things. Or something,” Killua managed weakly.

Gon was unconvinced. Killua’s face was steadily turning from a light rosy color to blood red again, and he wouldn’t make eye contact with him. “Well, if you’re not mad, why are you turning red like that? Are you sad? Do you want to talk about it? It’s not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up like tha—.”

“GON WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR ONCE?!” Killua screamed, the pounding in his chest threatening to make him collapse. He didn’t _mean_ to yell like that, but he swore if Gon said one more word, he knew he was going to explode.

Killua could feel himself going weak, and his head felt lighter from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. _What is wrong with me? I mean Gon is my best friend…but none of my other friends make my heart feel like it’s going to explode or throw up or run away…_ Is _there something wrong with me?_

Something wet hit Killua’s shoe, and he felt warm tears streaming down his face. _Wh-what the heck? Am I crying?_ He reached up and wiped the moisture from his cheeks. _What is going on? Why am I acting like this?_

“Killua.”

Through the sniffling and steady stream of tears that was pouring from Killua’s eyes, he managed to look up at Gon. Well what he _could_ see, that is. His friend’s arms wrapped around his waist, pulling his thinner frame against his own. The white haired boy froze, the tears still coming but at a slower rate now, his hand still paused up to wipe them away.

“Don’t cry, Killua. I’m sorry. I won’t ask any more questions.”

But Killua couldn’t move. He just stood, absorbing Gon’s warmth into his chilled skin. If he moved, Gon would surely move away, taking the sweet smell of cinnamon and honey with him. So Killua just stayed still, savoring the moment.

After a while, though, Gon held Killua at an arm’s length instead of up against him. His amber eyes blazed with the familiar resolve the brunet often had when he had an idea—that Killua was going to be dragged into as well. “To make it up to you, I’ll do whatever you want, no matter what. I am at your mercy.”

Killua squinted at Gon incredulously as his friend kneeled, much like a knight would, offering him his hand. “Gon, what the heck. I said I’m fine. Don’t be such a freak…”

Gon chuckled and stood back up. “But I’m Gon _Freecss._ It can’t be helped.”

Killua rolled his eyes and punched Gon’s arm lightly. “Whatever. Let’s just go get dinner, alright weirdo?”

Gon’s hand grabbed Killua’s elbow, pulling him to a stop. “Killua, I’m serious though. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Whatever you want.”

Killua could see that Gon wasn’t going to give up unless he succumbed to him. _But what do I_ want _from Gon?_ Killua wondered. He didn’t know, and wasn’t sure if he ever would. _I just want to be your friend…what do friends do?_

“Let’s go shopping.” Killua announced, finally deciding. Something fun, combined with giving Gon the satisfaction he wanted, as well as something friends would do. It was perfect.

“But…um, wouldn’t we have to _sneak out_ to do that? Isn’t that…sort of against the rules?” Gon’s eyes were slowly becoming less sure, and his shoulders were slumping. That determination that drove him to please Killua was slowly lessening as he thought of the trouble they could get in.

Killua smirked mischievously as he saw he caught Gon in his trap. “Ohhhh, but I thought you said we could do _anything?_ Are you going back on your word, Gon?”

The challenge relit Gon’s fire. “No! Let’s go right now!” His dark, warm hand wrapped around Killua’s pale, cold one, and he was dragging his friend down the hall, towards the lobby.

“Gon! Wait, we have to plan this out!” Killua put the brakes on, digging his heels into the floor, pulling them both to a stop. Gon’s grip wasn’t painful, but Killua was aware of the strength that even just his hand had. “Let’s just think about how we’re going to do this, alright?”

“We’re sneaking out through the kitchen, of course. C’mon, scardy-cat.” He started pulling Killua around towards the kitchen area, just next to the front doors. “Keep your head low, and follow me.”

Killua obeyed, his heart racing as adrenaline entered his bloodstream again. The brightly lit kitchen was sure to reveal them, if they didn’t knock over pots and pans to alert the chefs to their whereabouts. But, by some miracle, Gon led him to safety out the back door into a small alleyway.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, right?” Gon’s hand was still holding onto Killua, and he smiled triumphantly at him. Killua just rolled his eyes and started walking towards the street.

“You’re such a dork. C’mon, I’ll show you the best place to shop.”

The setting sun cast the entire city in a warm, orange glow as the light reflected off the windows of the buildings, and car headlights flashed every so often past the two boys. The smell of the city was a mix of sewage, street vendors’ goods, and people. It was a familiar smell—Killua had grown up here and wandered these streets as a mere child. Every crack in the sidewalk, every flower desperately trying to grow amongst the concrete jungle he knew like the back of his hand. And now he was going to share his home with Gon.

They made several twists and turns through the maze of buildings and people, until they arrived in a dark crossroads between four sky scrapers and their shadows. It was significantly cooler beneath the shade, but Killua didn’t mind. His focus was on the shabby store on the ground level of one of the buildings between the sky scrapers.

“My brother owns this place—he sells all sorts of junk in there,” Killua explained as he jabbed his thumb at the run-down building. “He’s really weird, so don’t break anything inside because I have no idea what he’ll do.”

Gon nodded, gulping. Other than Alluka and Nanika, Kalluto, and Illumi, who else could be related to Killua? How many siblings did he have?? And the ones he met so far, there’s no way this one could be scarier.

Killua thrust the swinging doors wide open and noisily stomped around, announcing his arrival. The bell chimed above their heads as they stood in the entrance, taking in all the spiraling dust particles caught in the dank lighting emanating from the swinging ceiling lights. Rows upon rows of just…stuff cluttered the giant room. It was no bigger than Killua and Gon’s dorm, but it was colder somehow. Comics, figmas, video games, drinks, and snacks were stacked perfectly on the shelves.

“Big Brooooo~!” Killua called out in a mockingly sweet voice.

Gon jumped as something loud crashed in the back, and he wondered if he should go and investigate if someone had been hurt. There was a yelp, and more crashes. A door behind the comics was flung open, clattering loudly against the wall.

A coarse voice hollered from the back. “Killua! You’re banned from my store! Get out! Or I’ll call mom and tell her you’re bugging me again!”

A portly man, about twenty or so, rounded the comic section, his round face red and contorted with anger. In his hand was a long crow bar, gripped tightly in his chubby hands. His dark, almond shaped eyes, so unlike Killua’s shining blue ones, glittered with his extreme rage.

 _Scary! Definitely the scariest!_ Gon silently prayed that he would be able to at least outrun the man if it came down to it…

Killua smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “Milluki~! Fine. I was actually going to buy something today, and I even brought Gon _Freecss_ here with me today.” Gon noticed the man’s grip on the bar loosen at the mention of his name. Killua took note, as well. “That’s right. _Freecss._ As in, son of the famous soccer player? But, hey, if you don’t want our business—.”

As Killua started to turn away, followed by Gon (who was extremely confused as to what exactly was going on), his brother dropped the bar completely, letting it clatter to the ground. “Wait!” Killua’s smirk widened until it spread across his entire face. “Fine, you can stay. Just—just don’t break anything this time, alright? Or I _will_ stick this crowbar up your—.”

“Fine, fine. We won’t be long. C’mon, Gon.”

Killua grabbed his friend’s arm and dragged him to the video game section, throwing his arms out in front of him to display the large collection. “Pick whatever you’d like, family discount.”

“No discount for brats like you, Kil!” Milluki’s hoarse voice called from somewhere in the back room again. Killua let out a “tch” of disappointment.

“Pick one game, on me. No family discount!” He smiled gleefully, imitating a salesman’s voice.

Gon chuckled and grabbed the first game he could find. “Maria Kar? Don’t you know this is what ends friendships? The Destroyer of Families? The one and _only_ Home Wrecker??” Killua asked him in disbelief, holding the copy of the game in his hand.

But Gon’s smile was as bright as ever. “I heard it’s a lot of fun! It won’t hurt to try it, right?”

Killua could feel his heart melt at Gon’s puppy eyes—it was just too much. Besides, the game looked super fun anyway, and he had always wanted to play it. “Fine.”

After Milluki (begrudgingly) checked them out, the two boys wandered back out onto the now almost deserted streets of Yorknew. Shadows were even longer now, sending most of the city under a dark blanket, like it was ready to be tucked in for the night. Streetlamps were already flickering on, and all across the city, lights were flashing on in the windows, imitating the appearance of fireflies in the woods at night. Even the smell was almost gone—replaced by a lighter, fresher smell.

“We should probably head back now, right? It’s getting pretty dark…” Gon mused as they walked side-by-side down the open street, their shadows splaying across the sidewalk at each passing car.

Killua thought about it for a moment. “Let’s go one more place. It’s a secret place, so I’m the only one who knows about it. But I trust you.”

Gon looked at Killua in surprise—this was the first time since they met that he was openly acknowledging a vulnerable side to him. But he didn’t miss a beat. Just the fact that Killua said he trusted him meant more than the white-haired boy could ever know. “If you’re there, I’m there too.”

Killua thanked the sky that it was too dark for Gon to see his face—he was absolutely beaming. Just the idea of sharing something as special as his secret hiding place as a child with _anyone_ before now was impossible to think of. But after spending the last few days with Gon, who had felt like he had been in Killua’s life since he was born, Killua knew that this was something he needed to do—if not now, when? And since it was just around the corner, it was the perfect opportunity.

“It’s about a mile into the park, the one just around the corner from the school. I used to go there and play as a kid when my family was getting annoying and I just needed to get away,” he explained, leading the way through the empty streets.

Gon followed quickly, nodding in knowing. “I have a cliff that overlooks the entirety of Whale Island that I use when I need to clear my head. I’ll have to show you sometime.”

Killua whipped around to hide the pink dusting his cheeks now. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

As the entered the park, Gon saw Killua’s steps get quicker and his speed increased until he was practically running to keep up. “Hurry up, or we’ll miss it!” He called over his shoulder, breath coming in spurts from the exercise.

“Miss—What—Exactly?” Gon huffed back. They had to have been going non-stop for a good couple hours now. But Killua’s speed was still increasing as they rounded another bend in the park road.

“You’ll—See!”

Finally, Killua stopped in front of a thicket of bushes, towering way above either of the boys’ heads. “This is it. This is Fort Killua, where only the best can enter.”

His hand reached up to pull the branches apart, and the whiteness of his skin seemed to glow in the reflection of the moon. The opening he created between the bushes was dark, but he ushered Gon through. With a gulp, he poked his spikey head through nervously, expecting to be met with an ambush of insects and cobwebs.

But instead, his breath was knocked from his chest. In front of him was a scene like that from a fantasy movie—a bush-lined clearing lay in front of him, with a small pond directly in the middle. Fireflies danced across the water’s edge, and crickets played a peaceful melody as Killua followed Gon through the entrance. Gon could make out various amphibian and reptilian sounds in the cacophony of calls that he hadn’t noticed before.

“Killua this is—this is amazing!”

Gon’s eyes shone as he took in the beautiful scenery, not wanting to miss a detail. Something as fantastic as this was sure to disappear the moment he took his eyes off of it, like mist in the morning sun.

Killua was about to speak when something rustled in the bushes behind them, making him start. He could feel eyes watching him as he slowly moved closer to Gon, who was still in a daze and completely unaware that something was amiss.

Killua grabbed his hand slowly, turning him around so that he could pull Gon behind his body at a moment’s notice. Gon snapped out of his reverie at Killua’s touch.

“What’s wrong, Killua?” He said rather loudly, filling the silence. The rustling in the bushes stopped, and Killua’s grip tightened around Gon’s fingers. Whatever—or whoever was in the bushes—knew they were here now, without a doubt.

A long leg emerged, followed by a lithe, but muscular, body. Dark hair cascaded around the figure’s shoulders, barely covering the face. Killua instantly recognized the school uniform’s colors in the bright white light from the moon. The silhouette of the other student swayed ever so slightly, barely revealing the large, angular black eyes that the curtain of hair covered.

Killua’s breathing hitched as he felt Gon’s chest press against his back, steadying him on his feet. He hadn’t noticed before, but he was shaking now. He knew who was standing in front of them, and he could feel the immense pressure that the presence had on him mentally. He swallowed the bulge in his throat before attempting to speak, suddenly reassured by Gon’s presence.

“What do you want, Illumi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang guys, I'm really sorry about this chapter-- to be honest, I wasn't even planning to update because it was so badly written, but I felt like I couldn't leave you hanging w/o at least giving you a little something :( 
> 
> Idk I guess I felt Killua was really OOC and I was rushing through it or something *shrug* Tell me what you thought, positive or negative it really doesn't matter.
> 
> Also, FYI I might be going on a little bit of a hiatus after this chapter, I might not update every single week from now on just because I'm really feeling unmotivated and filler chapters slay me. :( but thanks for reading this far, anyway! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short, had to get back into the flow of not writing for like a year lol XD As always, comments are appreciated but not expected, tell me what you think!

“What do you want, Illumi?”

Killua stepped protectively out in front of Gon, shielding him from his brother’s dead stare. Gon’s head poked around Killua’s shoulder, curious about the man who had appeared behind them suddenly. He could feel Killua’s hand shaking in his own, and squeezed it to reassure him.

Illumi’s head cocked to the side, giving him a false pretense of innocence. “Why are you here, Kil. You shouldn’t leave school unsupervised. You could get in a lot of trouble, you know,” Illumi informed him; Gon couldn’t help but feel a little bit threatened, although Illumi made no advances on the two boys.

Killua felt it too, for he squeezed Gon’s hand; had Gon not been nervous too, he would have flinched when Killua’s nails dug into the top of his hand. “So what? I don’t have to have a teacher watching me every time I do something, so lay off.” Killua’s voice was tight—he sounded like it would crack at any moment.

Illumi didn’t move a muscle—he didn’t even blink. His eyes just bore into Killua’s: black, bottomless pits devoid of any emotion. “And why are you with him?”

Gon’s heart stopped. He felt Illumi’s eyes adjust ever so slightly so that they were fixated on him now. A chill ran down his back, seemingly freezing him to the core. Those eyes—they pinned him where he stood, and if he moved, he feared he would fall into their darkness.

Killua moved his body ever so slightly, standing as a shield between his brother and his friend. “We…needed a change of scenery. So I took him to the park.” Gon felt sweat running between his and Killua’s hands, and he wasn’t sure if it was his own or his friend’s; however, he held onto Killua like a life line. “Now, Illumi, what do you want?”

Illumi straightened up and looked back at Killua. “Milluki called us and told us that you snuck off of campus, so Principal Netero needs to see you two in his office. We’re here to bring you back.”

Killua’s eyebrows knit together. “We? What do you mean, we? There’s only yo—.”

“Hello~. Long time, no see~.” A pale white hand grasped Gon’s upper arm tightly and pried him off of Killua. Sharp amber eyes twinkled mischievously and a coy smile parted the tall man’s pasty lips.

Gon squirmed under his firm hand to get free, but to no avail. Killua turned to help his friend free himself, but Illumi was faster, grabbing his younger brother by the scruff of his shirt and dragging him towards the entrance of the clearing.

“Kil, stop struggling or this will end badly. For your friend, that is.”

Killua stiffened as Hisoka’s hand struck the back of Gon’s neck, rendering him unconscious. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he turned to face his monster of a brother.

“You’re terrible. Just awful! I hate you, Illumi.” Killua’s voice was hoarse and he spoke just above a whisper. Slowly, his confidence came back and his voice rang out with more confidence than before. “I HATE YOU, ILL- “

And then, darkness.

 

Killua awoke with a jolt in a room full of sterile, white lights. He was sitting semi-upright, with his head leaned against the wall. Gon was beside him, blinking in the harsh lights. He brought one brown hand to his amber eyes and rubbed them awake.

“Hey. What happened?” He mumbled, still not fully awake.

Killua shook his moppy silver hair, trying to clear the fog covering his memories. “Honestly, all I remember is Illumi and Hisoka ambushing us. After that, nothing.”

Just as Gon opened his mouth to say something, a door on the other side of the room opened. A small green faced man in a suit stepped out, and smiled at the boys with a sense of embarrassment and apology.

“Mr. Freecss and Mr. Zoldyck, if you would follow me, please.” He stepped aside and gestured into the room from whence he came.

Gon looked at Killua and stood up first, holding out his hand for his friend to take, helping him to his feet. Killua followed as his friend took the lead, heading through the door ahead of him.

“Headmaster Netero is expecting you. Please find a seat in his office and we’ll be with you shortly.”

The boys took their seats, and looked out in amazement of the view the office had. The sky had turned a milky blue, with the sun just below the horizon. Any moment it would break through and the sky would turn a brilliant shade of apple red, touching every inch of the city with its scarlet fingers. A few lights glowed through the pre-sunrise darkness in the buildings below as people began to get ready for the day ahead of them.

 _We must be in the very top office of the tower,_ Killua thought to himself. His seat was leaned as far back as it could go so that he could see the drop from the office more clearly. His feet were holding him up, pressed against the edge of Headmaster Netero’s office desk, and his face was planted firmly against the glass.

“Gon, are you seeing this?”

Gon chuckled at his friend’s childish behavior, seemingly forgetting all the events that had passed the night before. He too leaned back to see the incredible view, both the boys fogging the glass with their excited giggles.

Just then, the office door flew open, startling both students. Killua’s chair flipped out from underneath him, and he landed square on his stomach, the wind knocked out of him. Gon too stumbled to the floor in shock, landing with his bottom on top of Killua’s back.

Killua whimpered as headmaster Netero entered the room with a chuckle. The boys scrambled back into their seats as he sat down. “So boys, I hear you’ve had quite the night.”

Gon nodded fervently. “Yeah, we went out for a stroll to get some fresh air, and then these two mean upperclassmen beat us up and dragged us here and we didn’t even get to finish exploring. The city is really cool and so is the park and Killua has this really cool hiding spot and-“

Killua facepalmed mentally as Gon openly admitted to leaving school grounds unsupervised, sneaking out after curfew, and fighting with upperclassmen.

Netero held up a hand before Gon could dig the boys in further. “So Illumi and Hisoka have already informed me.” Gon grimaced as he understood the error of his ways. “Unfortunately, I do have to punish you two, regardless of how harmless this seems.”

Killua felt his blood rushing through his veins. _Is he going to expel us?! Without even a warning ahead of time? It was a once in a lifetime mistake!_ Just as he was about to voice his objections, Netero raised his hand again to quell his racing heart.

“Now now, we’re not going to do anything rash. This was your first mistake, Mr. Zoldyck, and you’ve been coming to our school for a very long time. And Mr. Freecss, you’re somewhat of a legend here, so you won’t be punished as terribly, either. Both of you will be assigned to—“

The door flew open again, causing both boys to nearly leap out of their skin. Eyes wide, looks of shock on their faces, they peered around headmaster Netero to see who disrupted their hearing.

A disheveled man in his mid-thirties stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, toothpick in his mouth, hair sticking every which way out of his ratty beanie. His hoodie had obvious stains all over it from food and sweat, and his gray sweatpants were torn and filthy. His amber eyes swept around the room, and his pout grew when he saw the two boys facing the headmaster.

“I get an email at three o’clock in the morning about two new water boys on my team, without even consulting me first? What do you think this is, Isaac? We don’t need water boys, give them to Paris’s rugby team for medics or something. The soccer kids—“

The man’s gruff voice came to a halt as Gon’s chair squealed when he stood up. Killua looked at him sharply. His nose was cherry red, and boogers were coming out in a steady stream. Tears welled at the corners and poured down his face as violent as waterfalls. He inched around the desk closer towards the man, making the smallest steps, as if he was afraid of scaring him away.

“M-my name’s—Gon. Gon Freecss,” he managed to squeak out, slowly nearing him.

At the mention of his name, the mystery man stiffened, his posture righting and hands falling from his pockets. He sniffed as Gon got closer, but his expression remained steely. His amber eyes met those of Gon until they were but a foot from each other. Suddenly, Killua was hit with a sense of déjà-vu. The man looked awfully familiar…

“Hmph. Nice to meet you Gon. I guess you already knew this, but I’m Ging. Ging Freecss.”


End file.
